


now that i found you

by showhyuks



Category: Monsta X (Band)
Genre: #riseshowhyuk2k16, M/M, Nightmares, and i still suck at writing tags why is this, broken!showki, drinking alcohol, flashbacks of attempted suicide, i chose not to use archive warnings because this is one hell of a rollercoaster fic, kihyun cheating on hyunwoo, showhyuk - Freeform, some nsfw scenes under the influence of alcohol, this is a mess i am SO sorry, well at least for me
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2016-07-27
Packaged: 2018-06-05 15:48:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 21,116
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6711361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/showhyuks/pseuds/showhyuks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hyunwoo is lost and he's trying to find himself again after Kihyun left with a part of his heart, and in the midst of finding himself between countless Tequila shots, midnight roadtrips, cuddling under a fort of pristine blankets, and sunsets by the beach, will he find someone who will teach him about life and love instead?<br/>[HIATUS but don't worry I am not discontinuing this one!]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> This is a mess but I hope you'll stick with me and showhyuk until the end.  
> Oh and talk to me on Twitter! I am at @minmoongs. Don't worry, I don't bite!  
> 

Hyunwoo knows.

 

Nothing is working out anymore and honestly he's tired. It's been days since they last peacefully talked to each other and for the past few days, they just end up throwing things at each other to try and ease the pain and probably to vent out each other's frustrations.

 

The physical pain of glass shattering just beside his feet can never compare to the pain in his heart, but what can he do? Kihyun's already tired of him and their relationship. It's the exact reason why he caught him in bed with another guy just as he got home from his overseas trip with his office-mates. He wasn't supposed to come home until two days later, but he wanted to try and surprise his lover with a bouquet of flowers and a bag of treats he got especially for him.

 

Turns out he's the one who got surprised after opening the bedroom door and behind it revealed Kihyun in bed with a man he's never seen before, but he presumes it's the Gwangju guy, Changkyun, who once accidentally called Kihyun while the latter was taking a bath and Hyunwoo not-so accidentally answered it, wondering who the hell would call his boyfriend and immediately call him _babe_.

 

Of course he confronted Kihyun about it when the boy saw him standing by the bedroom door with the overseas gift and the bouquet of flowers on the floor instead of being in Kihyun's hands.

 

"Who is he?" Hyunwoo remembers how his teeth gritted with anger, no other feeling but anger, and how he had his hands clenched tightly into a ball without bothering to look at the guy who swept his boyfriend's feet from the ground, whisking him away from Hyunwoo who dedicated his entire life to Kihyun, and he stops himself from looking at him or else he might be charged with murder after that night and he doesn't want to go to jail this early into his boring life.

 

"Hyunwoo, I-"

 

"Who. Is. He." He emphasized each word with all the uneasy feelings in his heart and Kihyun rushed to his arms, wearing nothing but the sheet of their shared bed, now tainted with sins which killed Hyunwoo's soul. It's the bed which witnessed everything; from Hyunwoo's shy kisses to Kihyun years ago, how they made love for the first time with shaky hands and even shakier emotions, to how slowly Kihyun's love for Hyunwoo faltered without the older boy having any hint. He should've known something was up when Kihyun stopped making breakfasts for the both of them, deciding to eat outside instead, using the same reason over and over again.

 

_I'm eating out with a friend._

 

He should've known.

 

After three years of being together and knowing each other until the deepest cores of their souls; how Hyunwoo likes his coffees unsweetened, the special type of shampoo Kihyun uses for his hair, and how they've always wanted to adopt a dog as their pet−they knew each other's hatreds and fetishes−but that moment, that second, when Hyunwoo saw Kihyun proving to him how unhappy he really is, he seemed to be distant already. Kihyun looked like a stranger to him and Hyunwoo doesn't know him anymore.

 

The Kihyun he loved would have never done something like this. The Kihyun he met years ago, the Kihyun he befriended inside a café, would have never slept with another guy while his boyfriend was busy working hard to earn money for their dream house up in the mountains as it overlooks a beautiful beach. The Kihyun who was once his world would have never betrayed Hyunwoo, if he were still the Kihyun Hyunwoo once knew. But he isn't anymore.

 

Hyunwoo realizes that people do change as time passes by and he wonders if he would ever change as well.

 

The plan of proposing to Kihyun a week after he got back from Jeju was completely flushed down the drain that night; it was all perfect already, from the food they were having with the families of both sides, to the restaurant Hyunwoo would be renting all of them that special night. Their friends already got the notice and everyone kept their mouth shut before the big day. Never once did Hyunwoo think that Kihyun's been lying to him ever since and that if he did propose to him, if the proposal continued to happen, Kihyun might have just rejected him; or he may have said "yes", but deep inside his heart didn't want to.

 

Hyunwoo considers it lucky that everything has sorted itself out before any wrong decisions were made that would surely have been regretted in the future.

 

He quickly got out of their apartment that night and asked Jooheon, a friend of his, if he could crash a night or two as he tries to sort through his thoughts. Jooheon immediately said yes, welcoming Hyunwoo hours later with two bottles of beer in his hands. They talk with each other for hours; Hyunwoo soon got drunk and he started cursing at Kihyun over and over. Afterwards, he kept on recalling the happiest memories they had, like that one time Kihyun was making pancakes and Hyunwoo subtly tickled him from behind, causing Kihyun to hastily let go of the bowl he was holding with his hand. Everything splattered around the kitchen and some even got on the both of them so they cleaned the kitchen together and washed each other inside the bathroom, with Hyunwoo massaging Kihyun's bare back as they submerged themselves under a warm bubble bath.

 

It was beautiful. _Was._

 

The memory is still somehow fresh in his mind, and it explains why everything still hurts so deeply. He can't even coherently think anymore; only pain and anger is residing in his mind. He doesn't know what to do anymore so he drinks and drinks that night, not minding how his system was slowly giving up on him. He fell asleep shortly after and woke up with a throbbing headache from his hangover; and he almost calls out for Kihyun but he stops himself from doing so, clinging onto his shirt as his chest slowly constricts on his own. Who knew real heartbreak causes real pain for one's heart?

 

He came home (is it even home anymore?) two nights later. Kihyun stared at him from the living room, with bloodshot eyes from crying and staying up to wait for Hyunwoo. He tried apologizing again, saying countless sorry's as if it would change anything. Hyunwoo just nodded, excusing himself as he takes a bath to try and calm his raging emotions.

 

They kept silent around each other until Kihyun got pissed off with Hyunwoo's bratty attitude, cursing him because he's trying to fix their relationship after realizing it could still be fixed if the both tried, but Hyunwoo insisted for them to just end it since Kihyun already had Changkyun. But Kihyun said no, and he tried to persistently win Hyunwoo back while at the same time getting into fights most of the time as soon as someone starts getting annoyed and angry.

 

From throwing plates and glasses to calling out each other's irresponsibilities in their relationship; it was an endless cycle until Kihyun finally gave up and gave Hyunwoo the silence in his life that he needed, even if a part of Hyunwoo didn't want Kihyun to give up because he believed in second chances.

 

Kihyun left hours ago with his fully-packed bags, not even sparing a glance towards Hyunwoo who was also trying to keep himself busy in the kitchen to avoid seeing Kihyun leave their apartment. He knew it would hurt; he knew it would make him break down as soon as he sees Kihyun with his bags, all ready to leave Hyunwoo's life completely, and he doesn't want for Kihyun to see him like that.

 

He kept a tight grip on the edge of the kitchen sink and when he heard the creak of the door closing, Hyunwoo lets himself cry. He slumped down on the ground, curling into himself because it's breaking him apart; everything took its toll on him and he just wanted to die. It hurt him so much.

 

Everything was so wrong and Hyunwoo didn't know what to do with his life anymore. What was he before Kihyun? And what is he now that Kihyun is gone?

 

Son Hyunwoo without Yoo Kihyun is basically nothing. He revolved his life around Kihyun, forgetting himself in the process, and now that Kihyun is gone, Hyunwoo is also gone too.

 

For no reason at all, he calls a friend of his. He needs to unwind, he needs to forget, and if a trip is what he needs to divert all of his attention from the pain in his heart, then he'll gladly fly around the world until he heals back again.

 

"Hyung? Book me a flight to Rio as soon as possible."


	2. when in rio

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: attempted suicide!

_이유를 몰랐어 왜 내가 변했는지 한참 생각했어_

 

Hyunwoo is nodding his head along to the song playing from his phone, still amazed by the scenery outside the taxi he's in. The cab is swiftly travelling through the roads of Rio, not giving Hyunwoo the chance to breathe every time they pass by a beautiful heritage site. 

 

He quickly turns his camera on when the taxi driver pointed to the sea they're passing by on his way to his hotel and Hyunwoo presses the video button instead, opting to take a full-length video than multiple shots that might turn out blurry. The scenery soon changes into ragged yet historical buildings and the photographer returns the camera to his bag as the driver says in broken English how they're almost at the parking of the hotel that he booked days before his flight.

 

His friend was too nice to him that day, immediately sending him a scan of his plane ticket to Rio when he asked for one. Hyunwoo knew he needed the time away from the place that would only remind him of the pain he's been feeling in the past few weeks and so he decided that staying at a friend's or neighbor's place isn't going to cut it. Everything would still remind him of Kihyun and how perfect everything was.

 

All those thoughts of harming himself just so he can quickly forget the pain he's feeling went down the drain when Jooheon saw him blankly staring at the wall of his bathroom with a razor in his right hand and a bleeding left wrist.

 

_"Fucking get yourself together, hyung! You're better than this!"_

_"But I can't do this anymore. Not without him; not without Kihyun."_

_"He already left you, hyung! Isn't that enough of a wake up call for you to move on, get over it and try to pick up your pieces? Your life is much more worthy than this!"_

_He felt a strong punch landing directly to his jaw, sending him sprawling on the floor before hands held him up and carried him to his tub to wash his unhygienic self and the blood that's slowly drying over his arm._

_"You can do this, okay?" Jooheon's tears slowly fall like raindrops on a fine October afternoon. He lifts Hyunwoo's almost limp arm up, scrubbing the dirt away. "You can do this because I know you're strong enough to get past it."_

 

Maybe it's because of those words that Hyunwoo found himself waking up the next morning with less thoughts of killing himself and more thoughts of cooking something delicious for his grumbling stomach.

 

And maybe it's why he felt the need to unwind and to try to forget even for a short while; this time, through a trip to some foreign place he's only heard of in television travel shows and the local newspaper. He vividly remembered Rio because of the majestic photos he saw once in an online article and how the writer described it as a "place where one can find himself." Sure, he really did need to find himself.

 

"Estamos aqui. (We're here.)" The driver tells him and that's when Hyunwoo realizes he's been thinking too deeply to even notice they've already arrived.

 

The hotel lobby is directly outside and he feels embarrassed to have kept the driver waiting for so long while he was busy with his thoughts. "Ah, sorry, sorry." He fishes out his wallet from the bag on his lap, counting his remaining bills to the price on the taxi's meter. "Here."

 

The driver thanks him and Hyunwoo quickly gets out of his seat and pulls open the trunk on the back of the taxi to retrieve his black duffel bag. He slings it around his shoulder and quickly ascends the stairs of the hotel lobby while counting the change the driver gave him. Too busy with the coins, he doesn't see someone running in his direction in a hurry and they bump into each other, with Hyunwoo falling backwards and the stranger falling towards him, resulting in a mess of limbs and the coins all over the carpeted floor of the lobby.

 

Tufts of blond hair blinded him for a short while before the person above him wiggles his body and head to reveal a person whose eyes are as wide as saucers, obviously surprised over the collision.

 

Hyunwoo's arms are instinctively around the other person's waist to protect him from hurting himself and he pulls them away as soon as he feels the awkward tension when the person stares at him like he's indirectly saying _why are your hands on my waist?_

 

The other person, instead of raging in anger, giggles. His laugh is music to Hyunwoo's ears, like how Kihyun's laugh used to send his heart soaring up in the sky. The laughs don't stop and Hyunwoo keeps his eyes on the stranger's face; it's endearing how the other person is laughing with his crinkling eyes and without any restraint to his rectangular mouth, showing a perfect set of pearly whites and gums. He takes note of the small mole near the stranger's mouth, and how his lips turn into bows when he's smiling, and-

 

"Hi! I'm sorry for that." The stranger says before pushing himself up and away from Hyunwoo. He offers a hand for Hyunwoo to take but the latter declines, showing him a small smile instead when he slowly gets up to fix his dress shirt. 

 

"No worries. I'm sorry for not looking." Hyunwoo's eyes are locked with stranger's brown orbs for a few seconds without any conversation between them, before he realizes he's been staring for too long. "Ah, take care of yourself next time."

 

The other person nods. "Yeah, sorry again." He answers before walking away towards the exit of the hotel and Hyunwoo is left in the middle of the hotel with his duffel bag beside his feet. He drags it towards the receptionist, half of his mind filled with the stranger's warm smile and infectious laugh. It's a sight to see, just like the other places he passed by earlier during the cab ride. 

 

"Room number 16." The receptionist gives him his keys and Hyunwoo lazily slings his bag around his back again while checking any damages to his camera. Luckily, he finds no scratches to the screen and the buttons. It took him a few weeks of taking sudden photography sessions with companies and organizations to save up for the camera he's always been eyeing since he spotted it inside the camera store he frequents to. It's the latest camera in the market, with even more features than the cameras he had been using in the past.

 

On the way to his room, he scrolls through the pictures in his camera, zooming once in a while when he stops at the photos of beautiful sceneries he saw during the cab ride. 

 

He brings his camera back to his chest before easily opening the door to his room and throwing his duffel bag to the floor, removing his shoes by the door to relieve his tiredness. 

 

Hyunwoo stretches his arms above his body, revealing a bit of his golden tanned skin and a happy trail just disappearing beyond the black garter of his shorts. He does take pride of his well-toned body and perfect proportions, giving all credits to his gym-maniac friend, Hoseok, who invites him to the gym every weekend. 

 

Hyunwoo places his camera on the bedside table before looking around his room and taking note of the intricate details inside like the wooden carvings on the headboard of his bed and the wall; the white drapings by the glass window overlooking the beach behind the hotel; and the small trees on two corners of the room, adding to the nature feel of his solace for the next two weeks.

 

He removes his shirt before opening the balcony window and stepping out to the afternoon breeze of Brazil. The smell is a mix of freshly-grilled meat, probably from the string of food carts below him, and the various trees around the hotel. It's definitely something new for him, considering how he's only been travelling back and forth their- his apartment and his office, sometimes by train, sometimes using his beaten-up car (that he has no plans of selling or throwing out because of reasons.)

 

Saying the view in front of him is majestic is an understatement; everything around him seems perfectly in place, from the trees by the beach, to the never-ending horizon of the sea that reflects the almost-orange hue of the skies. Kids are running around on the street down from his hotel, locals are exchanging their usual conversations with each other, everyone is happy and joyful and salsa music is loudly playing downstairs, as if welcoming him to a new world he's never seen before.

 

It's completely different from the suffocating walls of his apartment, giving him nothing but past memories he should be forgetting by that moment. But, memories that shouldn't resurface anymore started to come crashing back to him, realizing how he's already in paradise but not with the person he promised to be with. 

 

Hyunwoo wonders how Kihyun is doing, if he already ate his meals, or is doing okay in his work. He used to text him every two hours, checking on him, and Kihyun would always reply with a smiley face, assuring him he's okay.

 

He sighs. He's already far away from him but his heart, his mind, his soul, are all still with the man who gave him worth again when he told him he loved him back.

 

"If only you were here with me, Kihyun."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is such a short chapter but i promise it will be longer for the next few chaps!


	3. third time's the charm

"Ipiranga?" He reads the word twice before staring blankly at his phone. "Ipiranga."

 

Hyunwoo suddenly isn't sure of his pronounciation but his phone says that it's the nearest convenience store from his hotel and it's about three blocks away. His mind keeps on telling him to get some milk and to probably check if the store has noodles in their racks because he checked the menu the hotel offered and there was no meal at all that had noodles in it.

 

He hauls his luggage up in his bed, opening it with the passcode lock, before grabbing the floral polo he got as a present during their office's annual Christmas party the year before. It just hugs his body in the right places, accentuating how his chest narrows down to his waist when viewed from behind.

 

Hyunwoo removes his shirt and he quickly changes to the polo before grabbing his camera bag to check if his camera still has enough memory to last the day. It's barely enough if he will try to take photos of the sunset by the beach later that day but he still brings it with him along with his bag when he goes out of his room to have the hotel staff hail a cab for him.

 

The helper gladly says yes when he asked her if she could get a cab for him and within minutes, an empty cab is idly waiting outside the hotel entrance. Hyunwoo thanks her before walking towards the vehicle.

 

"Ipiranga?" Hyunwoo says once before repeating again to make sure the driver understands him. He shows him his phone with the screenshot of the image of the store. "Ipiranga, Ipiranga."

 

The driver nods at him and Hyunwoo smiles in relief. He settles in the backseat with his camera and bagpack with him, looking out in the window to familiarize himself with the exteriors of the structures near his hotel in case he gets lost. The beach directly across his hotel slowly turns into buildings as they make a turn towards the south to reach the convenience store.

 

Hyunwoo notices how the streets are packed with people in groups going to opposite directions. There are food carts along the sidewalk, various carts and boutiques, even musicians who have their opened guitar cases in front of them while they play their instruments as they wait for generous strangers who can appreciate what they're doing.

 

They make another right turn and Hyunwoo makes the place out as the part of the city where commercial businesses are found. Buildings are lined up in uniform line and people come out and come in of the doors every minute; he assumes the place to be the center of commercial establishments.

 

The cab stops in front of his destination; a huge gas station with a worn-out building behind that looks like it was repainted for a couple of times already, yet people are still going in and out of the doors, pushing either carts or holding paper bags full of goods. Hyunwoo hands the driver his fare before stepping out of the cab and heading towards the entrance of the establishment.

 

He passes by the employees of the gas station first, giving them a nod of acknowledgment before entering the store. Inside, he finds three rows of assorted items, with the most of them looking like they're the local food among Brazilians. He can only distinguish a few items, like the bag of nuts with photos on its packaging and the cans of colas and drinks inside the line of freezers.

 

He sees a row of sterilized milk on the last freezer as he aimlessly wanders inside the store and Hyunwoo quickly takes a hold of it, carrying it in his right arm. He continues going through the other rows of dried commodities before seeing a small space in the bottom rack where there are three remaining packs of noodles. Hyunwoo smiles in relief; guess he wouldn't be dying much in agony over missing the food back in his country. 

 

He balances the carton of milk and the packs of noodles on his two hands, not forgetting to check his camera bag slinging on his shoulder. Hyunwoo falls in line behind the other customers, idly waiting for his turn as there are still three people in front of him.

 

The pack of noodles remind him of the brand he keeps inside the cupboard of his kitchen, the one Kihyu- _he_ used to cook for the both of them. After realizing that his ex is boggling his mind again, he turns his attention to humming some song instead, the one that's playing from the broken radio behind the counter. It's a familiar song, but Hyunwoo only remembers the tune and not the lyrics themselves.

 

After a few minutes of balancing his weight on either of his soles and humming the last part of the song playing, there's finally only one person between him and the counter. He puts the carton of milk above the packs of noodles and he uses his free hand to get his wallet from the front pocket of his shorts, realizing afterwards that all of his remaining coins are gone. Hyunwoo keeps his eyes on his credit card instead, hoping that the store accepts cards as payment.

 

When his turn finally comes, he holds out the card for the cashier to take, but the woman shakes her head, pushing back the box of milk towards him.

 

"No cards." She says while gesturing her hands. Hyunwoo sighs; he still isn't familiar with the place so he doesn't know where the nearest currency exchange is. Deep inside, he's panicking because he just really wants to take a box of milk and some noodles with him back to his hotel and he knows no one around him so there's absolutely no other person who could help him.

 

He's about to excuse himself to find a nearby bank or ATM machine when someone steps in front of him, placing a bulk of coins on the counter.

 

"His payment." The stranger says, and the blond hair in front of his face is all too familiar for him. The cashier takes the coins after scanning the barcodes of the milk and noodles and packing them inside a plastic bag before giving it to Hyunwoo, who is still disoriented with everything.

 

_It can't be._

 

"You." That's all that Hyunwoo mutters after realizing who it is. The blond stranger smiles at him.

 

"Yeah, me."

 

They laugh at the same time and Hyunwoo steps aside for the other customers that have managed to pile up behind him. The blond walks forward first before motioning for Hyunwoo to follow him, and he doesn't know what comes to him that moment but he does follow the stranger and he finds himself walking towards the exit of the store in complete silence beside a man he's met for the second time that day.

 

"How did you-"

 

"You dropped your coins earlier, and I picked them up for you but when I turned around, you weren't there already. So I kept it and thought to myself that we would probably meet again. Luckily, we did." The stranger cuts him off with the answer he's been looking for and they exit the establishment together, with Hyunwoo still staring in awe. "Don't worry, I'm not a creep. I was just looking for something but I guess they don't sell it here."

 

Hyunwoo raises an eyebrow. "What was it you were looking for?"

 

The stranger smiles. "I-" There's a pregnant pause before he continues. "Nothing. It means I just have to find harder." He buries his hands on the pockets of the cardigan he's wearing and Hyunwoo sees small bruises on his arm, but decides to not say anything that might offend or cross his bounds. The stranger starts walking away, leaving him by the door of the store, but Hyunwoo is still bothered by everything so he asks.

 

"I never got to know your name." 

 

The blond boy winks instead, waving a hand to say goodbye. "See you around, bear."

 

Hyunwoo chuckles in amusement over the name. _Bear._ He knows he has the structure of an athlete, but his face screamed otherwise. He remember his colleagues that kept on teasing him for it, always commenting on how his crinkling eyes and warm smile don't match his shoulders that are so broad that a mini plane could land on them.

He's left alone outside the store and he quickly calls out for a cab with the help of the employee from the gas station. Unlike the ride to the convenience store, his ride back to the hotel is much quieter. It seems like people have started to pack their bags up to end the day. He checks the time on his phone and it tells him it's already 5:16 in the afternoon. Of course, the day is already done for most people. Kihyun should also be done with his work shift but Hyunwoo slaps his cheek to remind himself to forget about it instead. 

He sees that the sun is about to set and Hyunwoo knows he couldn't miss it for the world. He quickly makes his way towards the glass doors of the hotel as soon as the cab parks in front of the building. The receptionist greets him inside when he enters and Hyunwoo just shoots her a smile. 

He quickly trudges back inside his room just to leave the milk and noodles on the dining area's table before leaving again and cautiously crossing the street to reach the huge beach, where people have already started to get together to have their last meal for the day from the newly-built tents of diners. 

Hyunwoo takes out his camera from his camera bag as he walks along the sidewalk, looking for the perfect spot to take photos of the sun setting by the horizon of the sea. The view never fails to take his breath away; in every angle he uses for each photo, the sun is still setting in all its grand glory. 

The heaps of people around him kept on buzzing and as much as it irks him because he wants to enjoy the view in peace, he's amused at the same time because he has never seen a place like this back in his city. Everyone seemed like they were in a rush back there, always catching up on tight schedules while running and bumping against each other on the small sidewalks. While here, the locals look like they are just enjoying every second of their life without anything in mind to keep them agitated for every second of each day.  

There are about five food trucks and even more tents of assorted quickly-made dinners and rice meals lined up on the edge of the beach, far away from the main expanse of white sand. The beach dwellers and those in vacation also join in the fun, with them laughing with the locals like they've known each other for so long. Everyone is accommodating towards each other and Hyunwoo takes a photo of the overwhelming amount of people just chatting with each other.  

With the amount of people around him, it reminds him of their annual company anniversary day, where they bring anyone they want to so they could enjoy a day just celebrating and having fun with new people around them. He's brought Kihyun with him every year ever since he got into the company and they always end up getting drunk and making out on the way back home and whenever things got too heated, they never fail to warm each other up in their bed until the sun started to peek behind the closed curtains of their old apartment. 

It brings a pang to his chest. 

All of his beautiful memories with Kihyun seem so distant already and even if these were supposed to make him feel a bit happy, it makes him more remorseful instead.  

Kihyun would've been talking with the people in the beach as well because he's that good with people. He loves the sensation of talking non-stop, he basks in the feeling of people just listening with all of their attention directed towards him. That's why Hyunwoo's the quiet one between them. Kihyun loved talking whenever they were together and they never found awkward silences between them because Kihyun was there to fill it in with his random stories and discoveries. 

It was amusing, in the past of course. But Hyunwoo knows he should be forgetting about those kinds of things already. It's stressful enough that Kihyun seems to never leave his mind, but what makes everything worse is that every single thing reminds him of his past lover. 

Hyunwoo wants to disappear then. He doesn't want to feel depressed over someone who would never come back in his life anymore. He wants to end everything that moment, just a few steps away from the main road where cars are quickly passing through back and forth and if he could only step one foot back again, it would be one step closer to ending the sinking feeling in his chest. 

He looks up, staring at the ethereal blessing that stretches towards boundless territories. The horizon in front of him is now a mixture of purple and orange but a certain tuft of hair grabs his attention instead. The said man is now walking closer towards him and Hyunwoo forgets everything in his mind. In the midst of him sadly remembering Kihyun, he didn't see the stranger closing in on him with a smirk on his face. 

"You." He says with a light tone, and the blond stranger grins at him again, _for the third time._

"And you again." He laughs. "Are you stalking me?" The stranger puts his hands on his waist, eyeing Hyunwoo jokingly. 

"Not really? Maybe you're the one stalking me. You approached me first." He retorts. The blond stranger clicks his tongue twice before raising his right hand to wave it in front of Hyunwoo's face. 

"Nah. I just checked if you were still breathing because you were just blankly staring into nothingness earlier." 

Hyunwoo suddenly feels embarassed. He must have looked like a fool while he was having a moment by himself. "Ah, sorry about that. I just had some deep thoughts in my mind, that's all." For some reason, it's easy for him to open up to the stranger beside him and they both look back out at the view in front of them. The sun has completely settled and darkness slowly eats their surroundings, with the previous orange and red colors of the skies turning into dark hues of purple and blue. The stars are starting to reveal themselves and for him, it's as majestic as the sun setting a few minutes ago. Hyunwoo breaks the silence between them. "What are you doing here?" 

"Well, I kind of needed some time to find myself but I think I already did. So I'm just enjoying my stay here instead." The stranger replies without sparing him a glance. Hyunwoo keeps his gaze on him and he takes note of his delicate features; his eyes which easily crinkle with every expression he makes, the tall bridge on his nose, and his chiseled jaw which ends with his sharp chin that completes the whole look of someone who Hyunwoo can add to the list of the attractive people he already met in his life. 

"You wanna hang out sometime? It would be nice to see the beautiful Rio with someone who's visiting as well." The stranger suggests and then he adds. "I'm Minhyuk by the way." 

"We'll...see about that." He doesn't know how to answer the question properly. He barely even knows the guy and who is he to suddenly just say yes to going around a foreign place _with a stranger?_ "And it's nice to finally know your name. I'm Hyunwoo." 

"I'll settle on calling you bear instead." Minhyuk giggles before fishing out his phone from the pocket of his cardigan. "Can you please just enter your number instead? So I can ask the next time I go around Rio if you finally want to come with me. It would be fun, I promise. Plus you look like you need all the fun in the world right now." 

"Bear." Hyunwoo snorts. "And why do you say that? Do I look weird or something?" He takes the phone but doesn't punch in his numbers yet as he waits for Minhyuk's answer. 

"Your eyes. There's something about them that makes you look...dead. And sad. Are you sad, Hyunwoo?" Minhyuk asks. They're still standing beside each other as the night slowly brings cold breeze around them and Hyunwoo weighs the answers on his mind. He settles on something formal yet enough. 

"Yes. I think I'm sad." He absentmindedly types his number on the phone he's holding and Minhyuk quickly snatches it from him before he can even react to it. 

"Saving it just in case. And because you're sad, it should be enough reason for you to agree to come with me. Rio should be able to take your mind off the bad memories that are keeping you sad! Learn to live your life to the fullest and you have to stop sulking!" Minhyuk happily cheers and Hyunwoo rolls his eyes. 

In his mind, he knows he needs all the time he has to keep his mind off things and spending it with Minhyuk would probably help him a lot. It's a risk, knowing he's still a complete stranger to him, but what's an adventure without a few risks anyway. "Fine. Call me when you need someone to go around with, but please take us around something worth seeing for, okay?" It's something laughable, knowing he's just probably going to waste time with a semi-lunatic like Minhyuk, but he also looks like one to know where the fun things are and he badly needs some fun in his life again. 

"Great. See you soon then." Minhyuk smiles before walking away (again, for the second time) and Hyunwoo heads to the other way of the sidewalk towards the pedestrian lane. A ring on his phone stops him from his tracks and he answers the call with a brief "Hello?" 

"So about that going out thing, are you up for it right now?" He hears Minhyuk on the other side of the call. Hyunwoo howls in laughter before turning around and nodding. He ends the call before approaching Minhyuk who's still looking at him with mischievous eyes. 

Tonight should be the first of the nights he's going to try and forget about everything and the funny thing is, he's going to spend it with a total stranger, someone he met for three times already in a single day like it's bound to happen anyway. 

Minhyuk casually wraps an arm around his shoulder and Hyunwoo tenses, but eventually, his blank face turns into a look of surprise and then amusement. "Let's go, shall we?"  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i swear to god i'll try to beta this chapter soon i know it was bad and i'm not even fully satisfied with it BUT i just felt like posting it up soon because i didn't want to keep y'all hanging ;u;  
> (confession: i am bad at the character development shit of fics so bear with me if they change attitudes from time to time or if they don't align in each chapter lmao idek anymore i'm Dying)  
> (p.s.: i suck at writing and describing Brazil i swear ugh)


	4. dreamy skies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't mind the title. it isn't connected with the chapter at all. (i think)  
> this chapter is a product of my nine-day writer's block. smh pls forgive me if it's bad~

 

"We need to hail a cab. My legs already hurt from walking around the whole day trying to go around Ipanema!" Minhyuk complains and Hyunwoo shrugs beside him. 

 

"Well, I've been taking cabs since I left the hotel earlier afternoon because I don't want to get lost." He admits. "So I don't have any problem right now."

 

Minhyuk grunts beside him as they reach the intersection where most vehicles pass through. "Fine. But now, we're really taking a cab because we're going somewhere a bit far from here and I'm tired." 

 

"You sure you're tired? Your voice still sounds excited or something," Hyunwoo takes notice of how Minhyuk's eyes are still wandering on the buildings around them like a lost puppy, "pup."

 

Minhyuk looks at him with a grin. "Bear and pup. Short but cute. I like it!" His smile looks like it's going to rip his jaw and it's frightening Hyunwoo a bit. "So, we went from complete strangers to people using first name basis a few minutes ago, and now we have nicknames. I like the dynamics of where we're going, huh." He nudges Hyunwoo with his elbow and the latter just nods. Minhyuk frowns.

 

"You're not one for reactions, I guess." The blond says. "We're complete opposites, that's for sure."

 

"And you're noisy." Hyunwoo quips. "There, an empty cab." He makes hand signals for the taxi to stop in front of them so they can take a ride to wherever Minhyuk wanted to go to. The driver asks them where their destination is as soon as they settled in the backseat, with Minhyuk and Hyunwoo occupying opposite sides to have a window seat each, and the former shows the driver a screenshot of a map from his cellphone. The taxi driver nods, turning the engine on again as they go towards whatever place Minhyuk had in mind. Hyunwoo trusts him enough; the kid looks like he knows what _fun_ really means and he direly needs some fun in his life that moment. Or at least something that can help him divert his thoughts.

 

Silence envelops the two of them in the backseat, with some occassional humming coming from Minhyuk himself who looks like his energy is about to burst any moment. He switches from tapping his foot to tapping fingers on the window, even blowing air against the glass so he could draw various objects on it. Hyunwoo quietly stares at the boy beside him and he quickly looks away just as Minhyuk looks at him. Minhyuk has a lot of questions in his mind that he wants to ask to Hyunwoo, but he settles on something that's worth a conversation (for someone like Hyunwoo, at least.)

 

"So, what brings you here? The exact reason, I mean." Minhyuk asks and Hyunwoo's expression doesn't exactly give away what emotion he's feeling with the question. The latter heaves a sigh.

 

"Vacation. I'm trying to forget about things."

 

Minhyuk wraps the loose threads of the cushioned seats they're sitting on around his finger, pulling and unwrapping it over and over to keep himself busy. "What things?" He still isn't sure if Hyunwoo would tell him anything detailed since they basically found out each other's names an hour ago, but he gives it a try. "Bad things?"

 

Hyunwoo doesn't know how to answer the question without spilling exactly what happened in his life so he opts with a simple "yeah" instead, leaning his head against the window of the cab as he admires the streets. 

 

"But do you think you're having any improvement with it? Like, do you feel better somehow or-"

 

"I'm not sure." Hyunwoo cuts him off. "It's just a few hours since I arrived here. I think there won't be any progress yet." And it's true. He realizes that Kihyun is still in his mind even if he's supposed to be here, in this place, forgetting about the person who just continuously reminds him of the empty feeling in his chest.

 

Minhyuk could sense the emptiness in Hyunwoo's voice, and he really wants to help him somehow because he knows what it's like to be truly sad and he hates _sadness_ itself ruining other people's lives, so he moves closer to him, grinning like a child and assuring him things even if he isn't sure of it himself. "Well, why I guess that's why I'm here. To make this vacation all worth the travel for you."

 

"And how would you do this _thing_ you're talking about?" Hyunwoo asks. The boy beside him makes a funny face and he finds himself laughing to it, playfully pushing Minhyuk's shoulder away. "Please, you look ridiculous."

 

"Like what I told you, I'm here make everything better. Let's turn that frown upside down," Minhyuk quips, "and in return, you better help me find the thing I've been looking for ever since I got here."

 

Hyunwoo remembers it, the thing Minhyuk was pertaining to when they had a conversation outside the convenience store. The latter never said what it was though.

 

"Okay, what's that thing you're looking for? So I would know what I would be searching for later." Hyunwoo notices that there are almost no vehicles around this part of the city, and with the decrease of the number of vehicles comes the decrease of lights in their surroundings as well. Minhyuk leans back against his seat, admiring Hyunwoo's facial features instead.

 

"I'll tell later when we get to our destination." He says before taking it back as soon as he sees the familiar street they're closely approaching to. "Nevermind, we're almost there."

 

In the middle of the unlit buildings, Hyunwoo spots a small shop that has its door still opened and the "Welcome!" sign hanging on its window. The lights are still on, unlike the buildings in its vicinity, and Minhyuk quickly shuffles to his side, pointing at the shop. "That's it."

 

They kindly ask the driver (using Minhyuk's very limited vocabulary of the foreign language) to wait for them, promising to pay twice as much for their fare. Minhyuk ends up raising two fingers instead, and then crossing his two forefingers while showing the driver his bills, and it seems like the latter eventually gets the idea after he laughs while motioning for him to move forward. Minhyuk thanks him right away before gripping Hyunwoo's bag strap and pulling him close as they head inside the shop.

 

"An antique shop?" The lights blind Hyunwoo for a moment before his sight adjusts to the interior of the room. What amazes him though is that even if it looked cramped from the outside, the store's inside has a lot of old and dusty objects which found their places across the rows of cabinets and shelves.  

 

"Tell me when you see something that has feathers and beads on it." Minhyuk instructs before he disappears beside him and Hyunwoo is left alone by the door, smiling meekly at the old woman who acknowledges his presence behind the counter with a welcoming wave of her hand. 

 

He still doesn't know what Minhyuk wants to find in a place like an antique shop, but he takes his time scanning each of the item he sees on the shelves in front of him, mouth agape in amazement. 

 

He traces the spines of the books neatly aligned beside some sort of vase that's delicately engraved with Greek letters, reading the various titles of works which don't ring any bell to him. (Maybe it's because he's not the reader type, or maybe simply because the books all look older than him.)

 

Scanning shelves, his eyes catches one item that brings a small grin to his face. A teddy bear, fabric worn and loosened with age but mostly well-preserved. He picks it up delicately, under the arms and gives a careful squeeze. It's firmer than the stuffed animals he was accustomed too, either packed denser or with a harder material that was used before his time.

 

He plays with it for a while, squeezing the arms and legs together like a child who's just given his very first teddy bear. Hyunwoo hides a giggle when the bear makes a squeak after he pinches its small rear; it reminds him of his own  toy in the past, the one given to him by his parents during his 10th birthday. He's never let go of that teddy bear until he entered college, where he left it back home when he chose to live in a new dormitory closer to his university, but he came back months later to seeing no trace of it after his mother supposedly did spring cleaning inside their house without paying attention to everything her son had left inside his almost-empty bedroom.

 

It was a loss for Hyunwoo, but he took it then as a lesson for him to take care of the things and people around even more. The only regret Hyunwoo had after losing it was probably because the bear held a lot of good memories worth remembering, memories that he should start letting go but he still can't because _it's worth remembering_.

 

"What's that?"

 

Hyunwoo is startled when Minhyuk comes up to him seconds later, sporting a blue, overused wig on his head like it's the most normal thing to do inside an antique shop. His eyes trail down from the wig to meet Minhyuk's hopeful eyes. "Shouldn't _I_ be the one to ask you that question?"

 

Minhyuk quickly ducks his head when Hyunwoo pulls his camera out from its bag, eventually giving in after hiding behind the shelf beside him when he hears Hyunwoo giggle in amusement. 

 

"Okay, because this made you laugh, I'll let you take photos. But keep it to a maximum of 3, I beg you." Minhyuk suggests before posing for him and Hyunwoo takes the chance right away, smiling to himself as Minhyuk moves from one pose to another without hesitation.

 

The blond removes the wig from his head right away after Hyunwoo keeps his camera back to its bag, patting Minhyuk's shoulder. "This would be nice for my future portfolio."

 

"Stop!" He playfully glares at Hyunwoo, placing the wig on the shelf nearest them. "Nothing comes out from that camera or I'll make sure I'm the one to throw that right away even before you can edit one photo to add to your portfolio."

 

Hyunwoo blatantly ignores him and Minhyuk walks around the taller boy with a huff before something catches his eye. He bends down to pick the object up that's idly hanging in the middle of a mini-carousel toy and an old flashlight, and he grins widely in excitement. 

 

"I finally found it!" Minhyuk exclaims and Hyunwoo turns to his side, peeking at the object on the boy's hand. Minhyuk holds a small trinket in front of himㅡa dream-catcherㅡbefore explaining.

 

"My mom used to tell me when I was still a kid that these really do catch the nightmares one person has." Minhyuk says, mouth curving into a smile. "So I tried my luck finding one here. It's probably because I'm not used to the bed."

 

"You still get nightmares? Like, children's nightmares?" Hyunwoo asks and Minhyuk looks at him, then at the dream-catcher, and back at him again.

 

"Kind of. They're not really childish nightmares, but I don't want to have them anymore. It keeps me up at night. I hate the feeling of waking up in the middle of my sleep because of some crazy, unpleasant dream." 

 

Hyunwoo stares at the dream-catcher as Minhyuk takes his time in admiring it, thumb tracing the round edges and soft feathers on its base; it's mainly violet in color, with a few white feathers adorning the huge circular base and a couple of white strings that held different colored beads on them. Minhyuk keeps it in his hands like it's the most precious thing he's ever laid his eyes on, even rocking it back and forth as his eyes glazed over the small trinket. Hyunwoo gently pulls him by the sleeve of his shirt towards the counter, carefully navigating through the rows of antiques inside the shop to avoid any mishaps. 

 

Minhyuk quickly pays for the dream-catcher before heading towards the front door of the shop and bidding goodbye to the owner with a smile, thanking her for her kindness. Hyunwoo bows beside him as well.

 

They leave the shop together, with Minhyuk happily staring at the new trinket on his right hand as he uses his left hand to grip the hem of Hyunwoo's shirt while the latter guides him to the cab waiting for them. Hyunwoo lets Minhyuk get inside first before he goes around to the other side of the cab to occupy his own seat.

 

"Happy?" Hyunwoo asks. Minhyuk nods feverishly with a huge smile plastered on his face.

 

"Very. How about you?"

 

"Yeah. I mean, it was amusing to look around a shop like that. Definitely a first for me," He answers truthfully while adjusting the bag on his back. "Plus, seeing you in that blue wig made it even better."

 

Minhyuk rolls his eyes before keeping the dream-catcher inside the pocket of his shorts. "Don't ever release the photos of that incident, please."

 

"It's great blackmail material, though." Hyunwoo says, earning a slap on the shoulder from Minhyuk.

 

The ride back to the intersection mostly consists of Minhyuk talking about how his vacation's been going, the places he's already gone to, and food he's already tried in the various places around Rio. Hyunwoo nods everytime Minhyuk finishes one part of his story to let him know that he's still listening, even keeping eye contact with him for a few seconds when Minhyuk starts rambling about the food he had the day before. It makes Hyunwoo's stomach grumble but he ignores it, focusing all of his attention instead to Minhyuk. 

 

"How about you? Anything you have to share?" Minhyuk grins at him with his palm out. Hyunwoo swallows thickly, playing with the strap of his camera bag.

 

"Me?" He puts a hand on his chest, surprised with the sudden question. "I- I like photography, I guess?"

 

Minhyuk barks a laugh and Hyunwoo wonders if the boy beside him ever loses his breath from laughing too much in one day. He admits it's contagious, but he also admits that the laugh sounds too precious that it reminds him of _someone._

 

Someone like Kihyun, who's as loud as Minhyuk, and who laughs like there's overflowing happiness in his system. 

 

Just like Minhyuk.

 

"Hey." Minhyuk snaps him out of his daydream with a light push on his shoulder, head crooked to the side as he stares at Hyunwoo's blank expression. "Are you okay?"

 

"Yeah, I am." Hyunwoo runs a hand through his hair in exhaustion. "Something just came to my mind."

 

"Well, may I ask where you're staying at? So we can have the driver drop you off there."

 

Hyunwoo blinks for a few times before answering. "Ah, Hotel Sol."

 

"No way." Minhyuk cocks a brow at the older, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "We're staying at the same hotel?"

 

"Room 16?" Hyunwoo acknowledges and Minhyuk stops himself from laughing too loudly. He tells the driver the name of their hotel and the latter nods, turning left to the next corner of the intersection. 

 

"Okay, seriously, is this some kind of voodoo shit? I'm at Room 15!" Minhyuk exclaims, hands making weird motions in front of Hyunwoo and he suppresses a laugh when Minhyuk slaps a hand on his face in amazement. "Guess we'll see each other often?"

 

Hyunwoo swallows back the snarky comment he originally had, nodding his head instead. "Probably."

 

The driver drops them off in front of the hotel and Hyunwoo and Minhyuk walk across the pedestrian lane together, entering the hotel with smiles on their faces after Minhyuk almost trips on the way inside.

 

"Clumsy pup." Hyunwoo remarks and it earns him a jab on the shoulder. "And _that_ hurt."

 

They climb up the stairs together with no other words exchanged between them. Hyunwoo reaches his front door just as Minhyuk reaches his and they both laugh under their breaths.

 

"Unexpected, to say the very least." Hyunwoo breaks the silence and Minhyuk agrees with him. Who could've expected that they would be encountering each other for three times that day, ending up with the realization that they're staying at the same hotel with their rooms just beside each other?

 

"More reasons to enjoy the trip." Minhyuk flatters himself but he doesn't spare a glance towards Hyunwoo, afraid of what his expression may look like. "But seriously, thank you for tonight, Hyunwoo." His heartbeat is erratic but Minhyuk puts a hand on his chest to try and calm his heart from beating too much. "I really appreciate the time you spent with me."

 

Hyunwoo nods. "No problem. It was fun anyway." And there are no lies under that statement. He really enjoyed the night even if he only accompanied Minhyuk, feeling at ease throughout the few hours they spent together. They're standing in front of their doors, keys in hand, and Minhyuk unlocks his own room first, with Hyunwoo following suit.

 

"Good night, bear." Minhyuk hurriedly shoots him a smile before swinging his door open and Hyunwoo acknowledges him with a soft "you too" before entering his room with a sigh. It's been such a long day for him and he knows he needs to settle in bed right away before he collapses in exhaustion.

 

He takes a quick shower for a few minutes, idly standing in the middle of the white tiles under him while letting the cold water hit his bare skin. The day has been very eventful, thanks to the stranger who gave him a memorable first day. 

 

Hyunwoo hurriedly slips into his pajamas after finishing his bath and he jumps face-first into the bed without hesitation, letting his legs dangle off the edge because he found the bed too small for his stature. A whirl of thoughts keeps him up for a few minutes, from faint images of Kihyun's expression when he left their apartment, to the faces of the random people he saw during the afternoon stroll he took that day. However, he suddenly sees a clear image of Minhyuk smiling with his eyes, and it makes him feel light again until a loud scream jolts him up from his sleep. 

 

 _Minhyuk._ His mind swiftly goes into a haze, realizing that Minhyuk is the one occupying the room beside his, and  he opens his eyes to dark surroundings before blindly hopping off his bed to rush out of his room. Fortunately, Minhyuk's room is unlocked and he slips in right away, taking note of all the bedroom lights still open.

 

He turns a corner and there, he sees Minhyuk covered in his bedsheets with his arms hugging his bent legs and his chin planted in the middle of his knees. The blond looks up to him with a pained expression.

 

"Are you okay?" Hyunwoo asks him and Minhyuk's eyes are still brimming with tears when he tries to open his mouth, but nothing comes out at first.

 

Hyunwoo sits beside him, making sure he gives Minhyuk enough space just in case. The latter finally gets the courage to speak after a few seconds of stunned silence between them. "I- I don't think s-so." He sadly answers, letting go of his knees to grip the edge of the comforter as his knuckles turn white.

 

"Did you remember something horrible? Or sad?" 

 

Minhyuk stays silent.

 

Hyunwoo tries again. "Something scared you?"

 

Still, he gets no response from him as Minhyuk continues crying while staring at the lump of white sheets forming around his feet. Hyunwoo tries one more time, remembering an important detail of Minhyuk's life he just found out earlier.

 

"A nightmare?"

 

He sees Minhyuk shiver under his gaze and Hyunwoo takes it as a _yes_. Not knowing what comes to him that moment, the older boy stretches an arm out, waiting for Minhyuk to see it as an invitation to crawl closer to his side. 

 

Minhyuk lets himself limply fall towards Hyunwoo and the latter catches all of his weight with both of his arms, patting Minhyuk's shoulder to ease his troubles. Just like what his mom used to do whenever he felt sad, he runs his fingers through Minhyuk's hair, calming the boy down from his sobs.

 

They stay in that position until Hyunwoo feels Minhyuk's huffs of breaths stabilizing. He releases Minhyuk's head first, pulling his wrist away from the blond's hair, before pushing him from his arms to lay him down on his bed, pulling the blanket up so Minhyuk wouldn't feel cold. 

 

Hyunwoo finds himself staring at the sleeping boy's face, eyes tracing the soft features of Minhyuk when he's asleep. He looks calm, way calmer than when Hyunwoo first found him earlier in that night. 

 

Hyunwoo yawns, feeling sleep slowly overcoming his system and he decides to finally let Minhyuk sleep on his own, praying he wouldn't have nightmares again for the rest of his sleep.

 

He's already preparing to leave, one foot already off the bed when Minhyuk calls out for him in a hushed whisper.

 

"Please, don't leave."

 

He wouldn't have heard it if it weren't for the silence inside the room. It sounds like a plea and Hyunwoo's gaze softens at this; Minhyuk's usual cheerful tone is completely gone and it's replaced with a tone of desperation, of sadness. He realizes that he's already spent enough time with the boy to find the gloomy voice surprising for him, but he still finds himself walking back to Minhyuk's side. 

 

He sits on the bed and eventually, Hyunwoo lies back down beside Minhyuk despite their cramped positions. Hyunwoo doesn't do anything to reach out for him, but Minhyuk is the one who finds his arm around Hyunwoo's waist, clinging onto him like he's afraid of letting him go. Hyunwoo decides to let the arm be.

 

Minutes pass and Hyunwoo admires the stars in the sky outside the room's wide window. But still, this kind of peaceful moment makes him remember the past, where Kihyun wakes him up in the middle of the night, pulling him away from their shared bed just so he can come with him outside to count the stars in the nightsky, with Kihyun holding his hand as they made promises together, Kihyun smiling like everything in the world was beautiful, and Kihyun saying those three words that made him feel invincible back then.

 

 _It's all in the past._ He reminds himself, getting distracted because of the slight movements from the boy beside him as the latter scoots closer. 

 

He lulls Minhyuk in his sleep that night, humming a song the blond might never be familiar with before Hyunwoo falls asleep by his side as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you to ao3 user yawoozyalose for putting up with my whines for the past few days. also she wrote one paragraph here as my guide so if you notice a really well-written paragraph, that's hers. ahahaha
> 
> (PS: okay to make it clear- this is all fictional. so i'm not really sure if i properly described Brazil/Rio. forgive meeEeEeEe. also yeah the first time they met, minhyuk was so startled that he suddenly spoke in korean and yeah, it started from there)
> 
> kudos and comments are very much appreciated. talk to me on twitter! i'm at @minmoongs


	5. take a breath, count to three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta-ed but I will edit this chapter soon with the better version once E finishes proofreading it. (I just had the need to post right away because it's _been so long_ since I updated)  
>  Expect a lot of grammatical errors and spelling mistakes orz

 

Minhyuk stirs in his sleep, hogging all of the blanket to himself when he turns to the other side of the bed. Hyunwoo is awaken by the movement beside him, eyes groggily staring at the ceiling of the room before sitting up to lean his back against the headboard. 

 

"Ah," he mutters, scratching his half-lidded eyes and running fingers through his messy morning hair. He stretches his arms widely, twisting left and right until he hears a sharp cracking sound. The sun has already risen and he can already hear the loud grumble from his stomach, so he brings his legs around and off the bed, padding quietly on the wooden floor of Minhyuk's room to leave before the blond wakes up. 

 

His room is in the same state as how he left it the night before. Hyunwoo fixes his bed first before walking over to the hotel's refrigerator so he can take finally drink the milk he bought. He prods the small top layer using his thumb before punching his finger onto it and drinking from the hole as he goes around the room to prepare the things he needs for another day of his _vacation_. 

 

Hyunwoo is about to take a piece of clothing from his luggage using his free hand when he hears a soft knock on his door. He leaves the opened luggage on top of the bed and the milk above his bedside table, walking over to the wooden door.

 

He carefully swings it open, revealing a sleepy Minhyuk still in his pajamas and furry slippers while hugging a pillow with his right hand and using the other to lazily rub his eyes in a cute way. He stares at the slippers for a long time even as Minhyuk swings and steps back and forth while waiting for Hyunwoo to acknowledge his presence.

 

"Bear." Minhyuk mutters, snapping Hyunwoo out of his staring fest daze. "Good morning?"

 

Hyunwoo suddenly feels heat spreading across his cheeks after realizing what may have just happened and he completely opens his door. "Oh, enter! Welcome and I'm sorry for the mess." He says without a hitch of breath, obviously still embarassed. Minhyuk follows him inside, settling on the chair by the windows.

 

"Are you busy today?" Minhyuk asks and Hyunwoo shakes his head (just after he's finally calmed down.)

 

"No initial plans. Why?"

 

Minhyuk rubs the soft material of his pillow, smiling to himself. "Let's first get breakfast together and then get going to roam around Rio more!"

 

Hyunwoo is sitting near him, on the edge of his bed with his elbow propped on his bent knee and his chin resting on his palm. He scratches the back of his head. "Um, sure, I guess?"

 

"Great!" Minhyuk exclaims, standing up just as Hyunwoo was about to bury his face to his hand. "I'll see you later, then!"

 

Minhyuk exits the room without making any more comments after making sure he'll see Hyunwoo again and Hyunwoo releases the breath he never realized he's holding while Minhyuk talked by his side as soon as he hears the door creaking close. 

 

"What's wrong with me now..." He groans inwardly before throwing his whole body back to the bed and bouncing up and down like a child. Hyunwoo buries his face deeper into the pristine white sheets of his bed before getting a grip of his own mind and pushing himself off the bed so he can properly prepare for the day that he's about spend _yet again_ with Minhyuk. 

 

Hyunwoo isn't drunk, and he's sure as hell that he isn't high. Maybe he's still too intoxicated with his remorseful feeling towards Kihyun that he keeps on making rushed decisions, but Minhyuk looks like he's genuinely trying to help Hyunwoo enjoy his stay and with that kind of face, Hyunwoo can never say no to him. Not when Minhyuk looks like a delicate flower, a delicate but strikingly bright-colored flower whose features make him look as soft as cotton, in contrast to his loud voice and even louder personality that makes Hyunwoo wonder if Minhyuk realizes that fact himself.

 

They meet outside the restaurant balcony at the topmost floor of the hotel, overlooking the endless edge of the wide ocean and the sea of people crowding across the beach to take photos of the early morning. Hyunwoo takes a seat opposite Minhyuk's, pulling the menu closer to him and subtly observing Minhyuk under his messy fringe.

 

"What did you get for yourself?"

 

"An american-style breakfast. Bacons and eggs for life, I swear. It's the best food in the whole wide world." Minhyuk exaggeratedly answers him with a big smile on his face, stretching his arms out to emphasize his sentiments. Hyunwoo makes a doubtful face, earning a sneer from the blond. "And you?"

 

Hyunwoo contemplates for a few seconds before replying. "Steak. Meat. Raw, overcooked, medium-rare, any kind of meat will do. As long as its the red meat type."

 

"With rice?"

 

"Hell no." Hyunwoo shakes his head. "I hate rice."

 

Minhyuk points the butter knife at his direction, pouting. "You have a weird taste in food. Who hates rice?"

 

He remembers a memory. _"You hate rice?" Kihyun asks him on their first date. He nods and almost chokes on his own saliva when Kihyun laughs loudly at that._

 

Hyunwoo sighs. _And I am trying to forget,_ he tells himself, pushing the past at the back of his mind.

 

Hyunwoo puts a hand on his chest, "I do," before acknowledging the waiter standing by their table to bring Minhyuk's meal and get Hyunwoo's order. He gets a simple red meat meal for himself (Minhyuk mutters, "As expected", and Hyunwoo smiles at this.) and he nods when the waiter excuses himself again.

 

"Aren't you going to start eating that? It might turn cold after a few minutes." Hyunwoo points at Minhyuk's meal but the latter just grins.

 

"I'm going to wait for yours. I did ask you to join me for breakfast, so take it as some courtesy shit coming from me."

 

Hyunwoo doesn't answer anymore and they're silent for a while, Minhyuk blankly staring at his food while Hyunwoo takes his time in considering if he should let his curiosity get the best of him and ask Minhyuk about the things that happened the night before. He's afraid of two things, however; either Minhyuk suddenly lashing out on him because he shouldn't have asked something as personal as that, possibly ending up with Minhyuk never speaking to him again, or Minhyuk telling everything about it without hesitation, explaining the story with utmost detail like the chatterbox he is. 

 

Hyunwoo isn't that much afraid of the first option happening, but he knows he will only find himself thinking about Kihyun more if he doesn't spend the next few weeks with someone new once Minhyuk starts ignoring him. Hyunwoo also takes into consideration the second option because Minhyuk opening up to him would mean he _trusts_ him already, expecting Hyunwoo's trust in return.

 

That, the whole trust thing, is a scary concept. That trust already almost killed him, and he isn't about to fully open up just yet. Not until he knows Minhyuk is as trustworthy as someone close to him, like Jooheon who's always there for him, or his cousin Hyungwon who owns the travel agency that helped him book the earliest flight to Rio that day he decided he needed some time for himself. 

 

_"Will be you okay there on your own?" Hyungwon asked over the telephone and Hyunwoo smiled, as if Hyungwon's just in front of him._

_"Yeah, I will be. You know me, I can eventually get back up to my feet."_

_"If I know, you're just gonna get yourself wasted there. Jooheon told me everything." Hyungwon sounded tired. Rustling of sheets and some incoherent mumbles can be heard from the other side of the line. He then realized it's a Saturday, meaning it's a weekend- the only time that his cousin, Hyungwon, and his husband, Hoseok, get a chance to rest following their hectic schedules during weekdays managing Hyungwon's travel agency and their co-owned dance studio._

_"At least I'm getting wasted in such a beautiful city." He answered but Hyungwon just snorted loudly in response._

_"Whatever."_

_"Make friends there, okay?"_

 

And Hyunwoo tries to follow his cousin's suggestion, throwing all of his doubt and shyness out of the window as he leans forward on his elbows, clasping his hands together. "So, about last night...what happened there?"

 

Minhyuk doesn't look fazed with the question. He only looks surprised that Hyunwoo shatters the silence between them with a question, but nevertheless, he answers him facilely. "Remember the dream-catcher I bought?" Minhyuk asks. He waits for Hyunwoo's nod before he continues, "I searched everywhere for those because of those nightmares I usually have. Guess I forgot to hang it on my headboard last night, preventing me from finally having a good night's sleep."

 

Hyunwoo takes note of that small detail. _Usually._ So Minhyuk's nightmares are a usual thing. "Does it happen every night?

 

"They don't come as often as before. Now it only happens during the days that I feel lonely or I don't feel well, I think." Minhyuk avoids explaining any further and he leaves out a very important detail as to why he gets nightmares, knowing that it still isn't time for Hyunwoo to know about it. It would only make everything weirder than it already is. 

 

The waiter arrives a few minutes later, holding out Hyunwoo's plate for him to take. He nods and mumbles a short "thank you" to the waiter before focusing his attention back to Minhyuk and his food. They both take their respective knives and forks to start munching on their meals, with Hyunwoo asking Minhyuk more questions about his nightmares and Minhyuk answering him as vaguely as possible. Hyunwoo knows he's not saying the entire story and history of his nightmares and he crosses off the second option in his list of doubts, realizing how Minhyuk is a bit adamant about the origin of it. They're technically still strangers around each other after all. 

 

Minhyuk asks him normal questions in return, like how a stranger should act in hopes of having a new friend. He makes Hyunwoo answer everything, from questions about where he lives, the line of work he does, his age, favorite color and food, up until the history of the shirt he's wearing. However, a question makes him stop everything he's doing that second, momentarily halting his train of thoughts as his mind goes blank. He will never be ready for the onslaught of memories crashing back at full-speed at the back of his mind, momentarily feeling emotions at the same time as he grips his fork tighter. 

 

"Are you in a relationship? Why aren't they here with you?"

 

Hyunwoo sucks in a gulp of breath before exhaling loudly. Everytime he's reminded of _him_ , he feels his stress levels reaching its maximum capacity. He isn't even sure how he's gonna start forgetting or moving on if all that he sees are things that remind him of Kihyun.

 

Minhyuk notices Hyunwoo's sudden change of mood and his face goes pale after discovering that he shouldn't have asked something as personal as that on their first actual friendly conversation. He quickly takes it back, mentally smacking himself on the head for being too loud and snoopy. "Oh, no no no- don't answer my question anymore and if it made you uncomfortable, I'm-"

 

"He isn't here with me because he's the exact reason why I went here by myself. All alone, miles away from him trying to forget."

 

Minhyuk has his head down low, realizing how awkward it must have been for Hyunwoo to say all of that. The frustration looks like it's slowly eating him alive. However, Minhyuk quickly finds a way to cover it up by directing a question to himself instead. "Do you know why I'm here?" With this, he hopes that sharing a piece of himself would somehow make up to Hyunwoo involuntarily saying a piece of his in the midst of stress creeping into his veins. 

 

The grip Hyunwoo has on his fork loosens, Minhyuk notices, and Hyunwoo shakes his head. "No, not that you've mentioned it or anything..."

 

Minhyuk grins. "Because I want to live."

 

Hyunwoo is puzzled and his face says so. Minhyuk continues smiling at him.

 

"What?"

 

Minhyuk stands up from his seat, holding out his left hand. Hyunwoo just stares at it for a while, not knowing what to do, before Minhyuk makes grabbing motions as he speaks again. "Told you, I wanted to live- live boldly, live brightly, live as if my life's gonna end tomorrow. Now, let's get out of here and enjoy Rio, shall we?"

 

Hyunwoo just got over the initial shock of his answer to Minhyuk's earlier question and now the guy wants to leave the hotel right away. Minhyuk is like a ray of sunshine, brightly bouncing to different directions, and Hyunwoo wonders if Minhyuk ever looks back to where he came from before bouncing like light to another place again. 

 

He hesitated for a moment before grabbing Minhyuk's hand and letting him take Hyunwoo again to God knows where, throwing all of their stories and worries away to try and enjoy the remaining time they have to themselves. 

  
  


♡♡♡

  
  


Hyunwoo makes a mental note to visit Rio again after this trip of his. Three weeks might not be enough for him to fully enjoy and view everything the city has to offer, and having Minhyuk accompany him throughout his vacation may distract him from having time to himself, but Minhyuk's enthusiasm about anything and everything makes up for it.

 

After having a short breakfast together, Minhyuk suggests for them to go to an arcade, where he mercilessly beats Hyunwoo in a basketball game. Hyunwoo, as revenge, challenges him to _Hit the Jackpot_ , a game where one has to use a heavy hammer to hit a big red buzzer. Hyunwoo wins by a mile, surpassing Minhyuk's meager 279 score with his very own 562. Working out non-stop with Hoseok during the weekends finally paid off.

 

Minhyuk flicks out a bill when he arrives at the cashier's podium, exchanging it for more coins as Hyunwoo goes around taking photographs of the kids and some teenage boys playing all the games the arcade has to offer. Hyunwoo positions himself a few meters away from a girl who's attempting to get at least one out of the hundreds of small pink plushies inside the claw machine. 

 

Minhyuk arrives a few minutes later. Crouching beside Hyunwoo, the arcade coins in his pocket jiggle and it makes a small sound that startles Hyunwoo from his focus. 

 

The photographer scoffs at him. Darting his tongue out in response, Minhyuk giggles before looking at the girl in front of them as she squints his eyes in frustration while trying to precisely let the claw land on the prominent plushie above the others. She fails again, and it seems like she already tried doing it hundreds of times before with the way she huffed and sank to her knees in front of the machine. Minhyuk quickly rushes to her side, leaving Hyunwoo with his camera.

 

He sees her eyes slowly growing damp as seconds pass by and Minhyuk holds her under her arms, lifting her up to her feet again. He crouches down to her eye-level, giving her the warmest smile he can muster.

 

A native, Minhyuk thinks. He knows she won't understand him so he points at the claw machine instead, making claw-like motions with his hand above his head. He then makes a cute expression, with one finger poking his cheek and his other hand grabbing his own head as he shows her his prized eye-smile. He hopes she understands what he's trying to say- _Do you want me to take a cute plushie from the claw machine?_

 

Hyunwoo watches from afar and admires how Minhyuk tries to interact with the child. He only takes one _perfect_ photo, the exact moment that Minhyuk shows his cute expression to the sullen girl.

 

The child, with her high pigtails and lower lip protruding in a pout, gives Minhyuk a shy nod. He quickly bounces up to his feet, dropping one of the arcade coins from his pocket into the machine's slot. It goes back to life, pink and blue lights flickering in unison and Minhyuk's eyes sparkle along with the colorful bulbs.

 

Minhyuk presses the big **Play** button in front of him, cracking his knuckles and warming himself up as if it were an actual physical game, and it earns him a soft laugh from the girl behind him. He grips the red controller until his right knuckles turn white, letting his other hand hover above the white button a few inches away from the controller. 

 

The machine plays a foreign children's song and it lifts Minhyuk's spirit up as the claw finally moves. He bites on his tongue, eyes training on the claw he's manipulating as he waits for the exact second he should slam his palm on the white button. He guides the claw with utmost precision, moving it a bit to the left above the topmost plushie and-

 

"Shit!"

 

Minhyuk swears out loud. The little girl peeks behind him, slightly tilting her body before her face breaks into a big, beautiful smile. Hyunwoo lets out the breath he never realized he's been holding for the past few seconds. Minhyuk turns around to face the girl again after squatting down to retrieve her new plushie. He hands it over to her with his gleaming eyesmile, shooting her a wink and she steps forward to hug him by his waist, her hands barely touching behind Minhyuk's back. 

 

She runs back to her friends after giving him a kiss on the cheek with her new plushie in hand. Minhyuk lazily drags himself to where Hyunwoo is, sporting a smile that's meant to annoy Hyunwoo. (But Hyunwoo still finds it too cute.)

 

"That was nerve-wracking." Minhyuk mumbles. Hyunwoo keeps his camera back to its bag before answering.

 

"You did good, though. You made the kid happy."

 

Minhyuk happily whistles, walking past Hyunwoo with his eyes on the door of the arcade. "I'm keeping these coins with me. Let's head out again, bear. Time to see more of the streets!"

 

After their short arcade trip, Minhyuk drags him to different buildings and shops inside the city complex with no plans of buying anything. Hyunwoo doesn't say no to him, as long as Minhyuk keeps his promise that they won't go that far out in the city.

 

("We will, though. One of these days I'm dragging you out of this part of the city and we will be exploring more of Rio!" Minhyuk excitedly jumps beside Hyunwoo and the latter grunts in disagreement. They're inside a candy store, as per Minhyuk's request, trying out different colors and sizes of treats with Hyunwoo cringing every now and then.

 

"No." He firmly answers, earning a jab on the chest from Minhyuk.

 

"Mark my word, I'll force you when that day comes! And it will be the best decision you've made in your entire life!")

 

Lunchtime comes quicker than Hyunwoo expected and they decide to eat somewhere located near the buildings they previously visited, walking around with their bags in front of their chests and Hyunwoo still busy documenting every step of the way with his trusty camera. The restaurant offers full meals, but Hyunwoo only orders a slab of meat and a plate of salad while Minhyuk takes his chance and orders the full-course meal, starting with the garlic bread appetizer. 

 

Hyunwoo's plates come in time with Minhyuk's bread sticks and he enjoys his meal while admiring how Minhyuk playfully tells him many anecdotes of the days he has already stayed in Brazil. 

 

"Okay, one time, in the midst of my semi-drunk state, I accidentally kept on talking to the taxi driver in Korean. I kept on telling him, _my hotel, bring me to my hotel because I am tired and I want to sleep!_ , but he only gave me this incredulous look and I swear to God, if I were somewhere close to being sober that night, my face could've gone tomatoes then. Luckily, one local saw me making a fool of myself outside the bar while muttering nonsense words and she paid for my fare, ha." Minhyuk traces the rim of the glass of orange juice he ordered along with his meal, smiling fondly with the memory. "I never got to know her name, though. And I never got to say thank you. How sad."

 

Hyunwoo listens intently, laughing along when he needs to and nodding when he knows Minhyuk is trying to make a point. For 20 minutes straight, not that Hyunwoo is looking at his watch, Minhyuk manages to tell him almost everything that has happened to him before Hyunwoo came. From the first day of his vacation where he accidentally tripped because of a rock on the way to the hotel entrance, until the time Minhyuk slammed his own room door to his own face, causing a two-day bruise to bloom across his forehead and forcing him to wear sunglasses for those two days full of wincing and whining.

 

Minhyuk takes his time in eating his food. He orders everything he can, not finishing the whole plate itself before asking for another one. It seems like he's trying every single meal the restaurant had, and not that Hyunwoo is complaining about it or Minhyuk's sudden appetite, but the plates on their table is already growing and he's afraid adding one more might tip it farther than it should. 

 

"Aren't you full yet?" Hyunwoo raises an eyebrow as he carefully places back his plate on his side of the table, making sure it doesn't bump against the other plates. "You've eaten almost everything here."

 

"Because I want to try everything at least once. It's very nice and pleasing to my stomach." Minhyuk smiles at him. Hyunwoo keeps that smile in his mind as one of the best he's seen in a while.

 

Hyunwoo volunteers to pay for their meal but Minhyuk stops him before he can ever ask the waiter for their bill. Minhyuk pulls out a wad of cash from his wallet, placing it under the small wooden structure where their bill is taped. "Lucky you, I'm treating you today."

 

"Cold cash? Why don't you use your card? I saw one when you were opening your wallet." Hyunwoo undoes the top button of his polo, feeling hot because of the restaurant's lack of airconditioning units. Minhyuk curls a dollar bill and points it to him, eyeing him closely. 

 

"I'm gonna tell you a secret, but you aren't supposed to tell anyone, okay?"

 

Hyunwoo nods, cautiously leaning towards him. "What is it?"

 

Minhyuk uses his hands to cover his mouth, whispering his answer. "I'm hiding from people, that's why I can't use my card or else they'll be able to track my location."

 

The older man gasps, putting a hand on his mouth to stop himself from making a noise. His response comes out muffled. "Hiding from whom?"

 

"My mafia leaders."

 

Hyunwoo's eyes widen like saucers before Minhyuk laughs like a madman, holding his stomach and the chair he's sitting on so he wouldn't fall off of it. "Shit, you fell for it." He snickers even more. Reaching over the other side of the table to smack Hyunwoo's forehead for being too gullible, his elbow accidentally shoves the glass of orange juice he places in the middle of the table. The juice quickly seeps through the white tablecloth, making its way towards Minhyuk. It ruins his white shirt completely as Hyunwoo stares in disbelief and amusement. 

 

"Oh my God." Minhyuk huffs. "And this was my favorite shirt!"

 

"That's what you get for lying. _Karma_." Hyunwoo answers him with a sly smile, taking out his camera to swiftly take a photo of Minhyuk blowing air to his shirt in hopes of drying the wet part. 

 

"Okay, but there's already a small puddle under our table because of it and the manager," Minhyuk subtly points at a bearded man looking at their direction with piercing eyes and Hyunwoo turns around to look at him as well, "doesn't look happy today. We need to get out of here before he sees the mess. Plus, I need to get myself a new shirt. I saw a shop while we were heading here, let's go there after we escape this place."

 

Hyunwoo makes a disapproving face but Minhyuk gives him a determined face back. The older man sighs in defeat. "We could just let him see this mess, but you just have this need to find more thrill in your life. Really."

 

Minhyuk winks at him. "On the count of three?"

 

"On the count of three." Hyunwoo deadpans. "One, two..." but before he can finish counting, Minhyuk already hurries away from the table, leaving Hyunwoo stunned before he gets the notion to follow Minhyuk out of the restaurant, avoiding the incredulous stares of the other guests. 

 

He finds Minhyuk catching his breath outside, holding his knees to keep himself upright while laughing to himself. He has his own hand just above the place where his heart is and it takes all of Hyunwoo's willpower not to push Minhyuk off-balance after what he just did.

 

"And what happened to 'on the count of three'?" He asks and waits for Minhyuk to recover from his laugh festival, adjusting his bag tighter and pulling Minhyuk to the side of the street so they won't block the way of other people in front of the restaurant's entrance.  

 

"Come on, it was hilarious!" Minhyuk slings an arm around his shoulder even if he's smaller than Hyunwoo and he guides him to the right side of the road, still giggling along the way. He's firmly keeping a hand on his chest while laughing. "But now it's time for me to get myself a new shirt. I look ridiculous in this." He points to the big orange stain mocking the white color of his shirt and Minhyuk dramatically sighs.

 

Hyunwoo pats the hand on his shoulder, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, you really do look ridiculous."

 

"Bear!" Minhyuk huffs. "How nice of you."

 

"I'm always this nice, don't worry."

 

Minhyuk rolls his eyes as they stop in front of a souvenir shop. "And I can't believe I have to spend a lot of days with you. Why did I even ask..." He retorts back, pulling Hyunwoo with him as they enter the store.

 

The store is full of colorful shirts, cabinets of mugs and other ceramic products, hanging keychains in every single corner of the room, and glass ornaments dangling from the wooden ceiling above them. Hyunwoo admires the opened paper lanterns beside the glass ornaments, carefully tracing the thin structure of the lanterns while Minhyuk takes his time in choosing a new shirt he can wear for the rest of the day. 

 

"Bear, which is better?" Minhyuk calls over to him and Hyunwoo squints  to Minhyuk's direction, eyes going back and forth the two shirts in his hands. One had a blurry photo of a sunset while the other shirt only contained the english phrase _Rio, always_. Hyunwoo points at the shirt Minhyuk is holding on his left.

 

"Sunsets? Nice. I also chose that one."

 

"Then why the hell would you even ask for my opinion?"

 

Minhyuk shrugs and answers, "I don't know," before he places the hanger of the other shirt back to its rack and daringly removes his shirt in the middle of an open store, taking Hyunwoo aback for a few seconds.

 

The blond takes his time in fixing the shirt so it isn't crumpled when he puts it on himself. Hyunwoo sees the defined chest hiding underneath Minhyuk's frail stature and he wonders if he works out like how Hyunwoo vigorously does. Minhyuk catches him staring at his stomach and he crouches down so his eyes meet Hyunwoo's gaze and he shoots him a wink. "Like what you see?"

 

Hyunwoo stifles a laugh. "As if. You're too skinny. You should eat more."

 

Minhyuk pays for his new shirt before bidding goodbye to the cashier and dragging Hyunwoo outside so they can continue with their whole day escapade, with Minhyuk randomly pointing at anything that catches his eyes. Even a random flower patch beside a sidewalk bench gets his attention and Hyunwoo snaps a photo just as Minhyuk caresses the yellow petals surrounding the brown head. A sunflower, just as bright as Minhyuk. He eventually lets go of the flower, smiling to himself and Hyunwoo's heart skips a beat.

 

They enter a small pet shop a few hours after their eventful lunch. Hyunwoo carefully places his belongings to the floor when a dog pounces on his legs, licking and reaching up to his waist with its black paws. 

 

"A labrador." Minhyuk grins while massaging the dog's head. "What a cute dog. It reminds me of you, Hyunwoo."

 

Hyunwoo rolls his eyes before kneeling down and holding the dog's paw with his own hands. It reminds him of a distant memory. 

 

_"We'll adopt a dog one day, okay?"_

_"I promise." Hyunwoo kisses his forehead. "We'll get a hundred dogs if that's what you really want."_

 

Hyunwoo snaps himself out of his short reverie, eyes darting back to Minhyuk who looks back at him with a soft gaze. "Are you okay?"

 

"Let- let's head home. It's almost nighttime and it will take us some time to get back to the hotel if we decide to travel by foot." Hyunwoo lets go of the dog to retrieve his belongings from the floor and Minhyuk nods, rubbing the labrador's head one last time before following Hyunwoo out of the door. 

 

Their walk back to the hotel is much faster when Minhyuk's not busy fussing at everything he sees and Hyunwoo is beside him, walking with pursed lips and his arms crossed in front of his chest. Hyunwoo hates it whenever his thoughts absentmindedly goes reeling back to Kihyun, as if their memories in the past want to keep mocking him even if Hyunwoo wants to forget. And he does want to forgetㅡ it's the exact reason why he flew all the way to Rio with a few of his favorite clothes and his best camera unit. 

 

One thing is for sure, though. His time with Minhyuk helps him somehow. If he weren't walking around the streets with Minhyuk, Hyunwoo can imagine himself getting wasted inside his room, or having every single object around him relentlessly reminding him of Kihyun over and over. He's a bit glad (but he thinks he'll never admit it directly to him) he agreed to Minhyuk. At least his mind is occupied in most hours of the day. 

 

They reach their hotel just as the sunny skies slowly turn into a vast and dark canvass, with millions of stars painting it across like it's supposed to be brighter than the sun during daytime.

 

Hyunwoo is silent as they go up the stairs together and Minhyuk doesn't say anything as well. On the way to their room, Hyunwoo suddenly remembers the _thing_ that happened the night before, and thinks about it deeply and surely because there is no way in hell he can take the question back when he asks Minhyuk about it. The air between them is heavy when heaves a sigh, finally reaching a decision and breaking the silence between them as they reach the adjacent doors of their rooms. "Do you want me to stay the night? Just in case, you know..."

 

Minhyuk stares at him before raising an eyebrow to express his surprise. "And how sure are you I would let a stranger stay inside my room for the whole night?"

 

Hyunwoo rubs the back of his neck in shyness, clearing his throat. "Well, we kind of already spent two days together so-"

 

"I was kidding. You're too uptight at times, bear. Just come in when you feel like coming in already." Minhyuk then turns his doorknob and steps inside his room, leaving the door ajar. "I'm all ears, if you need a friend or someone you can lean onto. Just don't make me your personaly punching bag." 

 

Hyunwoo laughs and nods. _I'm all ears,_ Minhyuk's words ring inside his mind. Hyunwoo knows needs an outlet or else he might explode, and even just a small outlet is enough. He knows Jooheon would just scold him, and Hyungwon would only say nonsense advices because he doesn't know a thing about heartbreak when his lover is probably the most romantic person Hyunwoo has ever met in his entire life. Minhyuk did tell him he'll make his whole travel worth it, so he might as well let him do his thing.

 

He opens his own room's door but Minhyuk's voice stops him for a moment. "Oh, and thank you for this."

 

"Don't thank me. I'm the one who should thank you-"

 

"Get yourself cleaned up first! I'll interrogate you later." Minhyuk retorts from the other side of the wall separating the two of them. "Bring in some food!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"So you're telling me you're trying to forget someone, but with what you just told me, you make it seem like you aren't making efforts." Minhyuk cups his chin with fingers like the famous Thinking Man, staring incredulously at Hyunwoo sitting comfortably on the bean bag Minhyuk bought weeks ago from a retail shop. He makes a gun shooting action after, slowly winking at Hyunwoo. "Don't worry, like what I promised, I'll be here to help."

 

Hyunwoo has slowly opened up some of himself to Minhyuk. He doesn't really give anything or tell the whole story in detail, but he says enough words to describe how he's feeling and what he's trying to achieve with himself. _Someone hurt me really badly, and now I'm trying to get a grip of myself again._

 

"I don't even know anymore. I feel like I'm still trying my hardest to find myself in this foreign city like what I told my friend days ago before I boarded the plane. I was hoping a new environment can stop the flashbacks, but I always end up falling back to square one at times. It's frustrating." Hyunwoo's tightly gripping the pillow from his own room, eyes focused on the dim light of the bedside lamp.

 

"And it's taking a toll on you sometimes. I notice that, you know." Minhyuk confesses, wrapping his head with his blanket that makes him look like a child. "Wait, when everything shitty in your life unravelled itself, did anything change in you? I mean, if you look at how your days went by after."

 

   
"Not much. Well, if it's one thing, I had to cook food for myself from that moment on." Hyunwoo leaves out the detail of the day he almost left the living world. "And I need to change the toilet rolls by myself."

 

Minhyuk's eyes are now on him, tilting his head to the side after realizing something. "Then, why do you say that you have to find yourself here when you never lost it in the first place?"

 

"I-" Hyunwoo feels like a cold glass of water is splashed onto his face. Minhyuk might not look like one to say such meaningful things, but this time, Hyunwoo lets the words float around his mind. He's left pondering about Minhyuk's words. 

 

"I don't feel like you're finding yourself." Minhyuk continues, "It's more of...you trying to piece yourself back together. From what I see, and what I personally know from experience, a person is always there, and even if they feel lost, the reality is that they're just shattered.

 

"But you have to remember that all of us can heal somehow; everyone gets their pieces back together in the end. It's only human for us to break, but also human for us to continue with life until you find yourself not broken anymore." Minhyuk leans back on his bed, covering his eyes with his arm to prevent Hyunwoo from seeing his tears. "And with me here, you don't have to worry about it that much. Again, for the last time, I'm here to help. Let's just enjoy this trip until you realize that you aren't broken anymore."

 

Hyunwoo is one to rarely open up to poeple not close to him, but Minhyuk makes him feel differently, like he's accepted even with everything he's bringing along inside his emotional baggage. Minhyuk makes it seem like whatever he has said or done is okay. Minhyuk makes him _feel_ okay.

 

Minhyuk quietly sniffs, turning to his side. "I am gonna sleep now. Hopefully I made some sense with my speech because even I didn't understand some of it." He adds, "Oh, if you don't get to sleep later because of me and my tendencies, well, I'm already saying sorry in advance. Good night."

 

Hyunwoo hums in acknowledgement and Minhyuk doesn't have to ask him twice. His hum is meant for both Minhyuk's speech and his warning. The moonlight peeks behind the curtain of the window, shining perfectly against the newly attached dream-catcher on Minhyuk's bed. Hyunwoo is left staring at space with millions of thoughts tiring him, letting himself fall asleep on the blue bean bag by the balcony.

 

A little past midnight, Hyunwoo awakens to the sound of Minhyuk's whimpers. He's having a nightmare again, but at least Hyunwoo is there to wrap an arm around his small frame right away, calming a crying Minhyuk that eventually stops sobbing a few minutes after Hyunwoo lies beside him. Hyunwoo falls asleep while caressing Minhyuk's cheek, his body inches away from Minhyuk's but his arm still protectively used by the blond as his own pillow. 

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> RIP MY GOOGLE SEARCH BAR  
> RIP AO3 USER SHOWHYUKS  
>  _but_  
>  lots of thank you to [B](http://archiveofourown.org/users/yawoozyalose) for encouraging me to finish this right away (as we both finish our own fics aaaHHH)  
> hope the 6k word count makes up for me going all MIA for the past two weeks ;--; i am a lazy bean who just likes writing so i'm sorry


	6. more than tequila shots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning: NSFW under the influence of alcohol!  
> ps: all shits here are fictional, like the parties, etc etc. just remember that it's called a _fic_ for a reason! use your limitless imagination~  
>  oh and sorry for the super delayed update and this is unbeta-ed so i'm sorry in advance if you hate seeing grammatical and spelling errors...

 

Hyunwoo doesn't really know how long he's been in love with Kihyun. Maybe since the day he saw him sitting alone by the windowsill of the café he always visited every Wednesday afternoon, or that time Kihyun brought him bento boxes for dinner while Hyunwoo was staying overnight in his office finishing paperworks for his seniors and how Kihyun smiled that night as he wiped the excess sauce on the corner of Hyunwoo's mouth as if it were the most natural thing to do.

 

Maybe he fell in love in between the times Kihyun texted him simple and encouraging words when he was about to go into heavy meetings, or the hugs he gave Hyunwoo back then whenever he climbs a step up the company pyramid. No matter what exact moment it was, Hyunwoo still can't deny how much Kihyun has made an impact in his life, even if they were meant to meet each other that day inside the coffee shop or not.

 

He wonders about the possibiities of avoiding Kihyun the first time he met him, thinking of possible scenarios and futures that he could be experiencing that moment if Kihyun never came to his life. Hyunwoo thinks of all of these as he and Minhyuk do a movie marathon together inside the latter's hotel room, deciding to stay in bed after their tiring stroll around the city the day before.

 

They're watching a movie, _Interstellar_ to be exact, and Hyunwoo imagines himself in a sort of library as well, with the different timelines of his life made viewable through the spaces of the bookshelves. He suddenly has doubts if he can ever erase the memory of meeting Kihyun if given the chance, realizing that amidst all the pain he's eventually inflicted on himself while he's loosely holding on to his memories of Kihyun, there are still specks of moments in his life he'd want to keep and memories with Kihyun who made him who he was that day. 

 

Minhyuk sees him blankly staring at the wall in front of them and he grabs the nearest pillow to smack Hyunwoo right in the face. Hyunwoo makes an annoyed grunt in response to Minhyuk's sudden attack. "What?!"

 

The younger boy hits the space bar to pause the film before pointing a finger at Hyunwoo. "You're deep in thought, _too_ deep in thought again. We're supposed to be watching here!"

 

"Ah," Hyunwoo rubs the back of his neck after realization hits him that he did promise Minhyuk he'll focus on the film when he chose it for the two of them. "I'm sorry."

 

"You better be!" Minhyuk replies with a sigh, crossing his legs and adjusting his position so there's only a few inches between him and Hyunwoo in front of his laptop. He rests his chin on his palms, hitting the space bar again. "You're the one who chose this film instead of my almighty suggestion."

 

Hyunwoo scoffs. "Really? The Bucket List? You think I'd rather watch that than this space movie?"

 

"Well, you aren't even watching." Minhyuk playfully rolls his eyes before he sees Hyunwoo leaning towards the screen. "What are you doing?"

 

"Focusing like what you said." Hyunwoo sarcastically answers back and Minhyuk shoves him to the bed with a forceful push, narrowing his eyes before he closes his laptop.

 

"Forget it, I heard there's a small party later downstairs by the beach. Do you wanna go?" Minhyuk grips the edges of his blanket as he waits for Hyunwoo's answer and the latter pushes himself up from the bed, running a hand through his hair to fix it back to its original style. He nods.

 

"Sure, but I won't be drinking much if you're drinking a lot so I can still take you back here and not be liable when you get into trouble. Who knows what kind of a drunk are you?" Hyunwoo teases him and Minhyuk shoves Hyunwoo lightly by the shoulder. 

 

"Just to give a heads up, I'm a noisy drunk." Minhyuk says and Hyunwoo snorts. 

 

"If you're already this loud when you're sober, how much more noisy are you when you're drunk like there's no tomorrow?"

 

Minhyuk rubs his temples, remembering past accounts of his friends staring at him darkly whenever he woke up after his drinking sessions in various noraebangs with them. _You're wild, Minhyuk. Never drink that much again, okay?_ He can still faintly hear his old co-worker's voice that morning after he passed out in the middle of the street. He turns to Hyunwoo. "Don't even ask."

 

Hyunwoo shrugs his shoulders. "Okay."

 

And so they continue the day watching horror movies instead. Hyunwoo lets Minhyuk grab his forearm whenever there are jumpscares in the film, and he also lets him scoot closer so he can hide behind Hyunwoo's broad back as the protagonist in the movie is surprised with the supposed dead body in the basement. Hyunwoo laughs when he sees Minhyuk catching his breath after the film while tightly clutching his chest. "Scaredy-cat."

 

"Whatever." Minhyuk throws a pillow towards him again and Hyunwoo manages to avoid it, just missing his face. 

 

The rest of the day goes relatively well for the both of themㅡwell, at least for Hyunwoo. They finish their movie marathon by the time the clock strikes 4 in the afternoon, and Hyunwoo excuses himself so he can get prepared for the party that will happen in a few hours. 

 

They meet again outside the hotel's parking lot just as the sun descends down the distant horizon of the endless ocean and the warm, bright hues of the sky are replaced by twinkling lights against a blank, dark canvas. Minhyuk's wearing a light pink button-down shirt while Hyunwoo's in his gray sleeveless tank top, both of them clad in knee-length shorts because of the humid night briskly approaching the city. 

 

"Let's go?" Minhyuk invites him over to where he's waiting, a few meters away from the sidewalk of the hotel's side of the street and Hyunwoo nods, walking over to where he is so they can go to the beach together.

 

A mass of people are already gathering in the front of the area where the stage is being finished by a couple of workers. Two huge speakers are on each side of the platform, three mini open-cottages which serve as the bars that will serve the drinks are stationed in various spots around them, and Minhyuk chooses to stay by the nearest bar to chat with the bartender manning in front. 

 

"So this is a sponsored party?" Minhyuk asks and the bartender nods. Luckily he's Korean as well, just someone who has stayed far from their country ever since he was born so he knows both languages. Apparently his name is Seungcheol, and he tells Minhyuk a lot of things about the party and the city.

 

"Yeah, that's what my boss said when we were deployed here to serve everyone."

 

Hyunwoo is playing with the hawaiian figurine in front of the seats they're occupying when the music starts to boom. It startles him and Minhyuk but the latter quickly asks for one drink from Seungcheol, gulping it right away before offering the next glass to Hyunwoo. He pouts. "You don't want one?"

 

Hyunwoo shakes his head. "I'll have some later."

 

"Alright. I'll just go around and talk to some people. You stay here, okay? But if you want to dance, well, please care to join me. You know how to find me with this bright hair I'm sporting." He points to the blond hair he has and Hyunwoo chuckles. He waves a hand and Minhyuk leaves his side to go to where the people are enjoying the first song from the party setlist. He bids goodbye to the bartender after having a few glasses to himself, stopping before he gets a bit too tipsy, and heads over somewhere far from the noise, not knowing why he's suddenly down.

 

He watches Minhyuk (seeing his bright hair amongst the other dark-colored ones made it easier for Hyunwoo to track him) go over to different people, starting a conversation while they bobbed their head and danced their bodies to the music together. Hyunwoo remembers himself years ago; a senior who went to all the parties before leaving the university just as graduation came in a few months. He liked dancing- no, he _loved_ it, but it's been a long time since he danced until the people were in awe, and after breaking up with Kihyun, he avoided going back to dancing in the middle of strangers enjoying themselves in the dance floor. 

 

Minhyuk's already consumed four glasses of tequila before he spots Hyunwoo chilling by the wooden stairs that lead up to the streets. He drags himself towards Hyunwoo, holding his fifth glass for the night, with a big smile plastered on his face. Hyunwoo's train of thoughts is halted by Minhyuk's presence in front of him.

 

"The night is beautiful, you can faintly see the stars above. And you choose to-" He hiccups, "sit here? Alone?"

 

Hyunwoo pulls him by his free hand, letting Minhyuk sit beside him. His head is swirling but he blames the chilly atmosphere. "Yes, I already had a few drinks earlier. That's enough."

 

Minhyuk makes a grumbling noise before he buries his nose on the crook of Hyunwoo's neck. He breathes in his scent before giggling. "You smell good, do you know that?" He sniffs over and over again before Hyunwoo pulls him away and pinches his nose to wake him up from his daze.

 

"You go enjoy yourself out there, I'll continue watching you over here just in case you make a mess of yourself."

 

Minhyuk shakes his head, putting the glass down on the patch of sand below him before wrapping his arms around Hyunwoo's neck. He pulls the both of them up and Hyunwoo firmly keeps his feet on the wooden floor just as Minhyuk tries to pull him towards the beach. 

 

Minhyuk struggles for a couple of seconds, knowing that Hyunwoo is way stronger than he is, but he won't go down without a fight and continues on pulling Hyunwoo by his neck while Hyunwoo supports him by his waist so they won't fall. "Pup, I don't want to go there."

 

"But you have to! You can't- you can't just sit here and not enjoy the night. Please, dance with me and just let it all go?" Minhyuk's eyes are pleading and his face has a lazy smile on it and Hyunwoo knows Minhyuk is already tipsy from the glasses he's already consumed. He looks over Minhyuk's shoulder, watching the mass of people dancing to the loud EDM music coming from the DJ by the side of the beach, and he sees his young self in the middle of everyone, dancing and partying like the party lover he once was. Hyunwoo finally steps one foot forward and Minhyuk sees this, smiling in the relief. "There we go, trooper."

 

"Only going because you kindly asked me to." He says before holding Minhyuk's wrists behind his neck and unwrapping them from behind. He lets Minhyuk drag him to the party and soon, Hyunwoo finds himself dancing to the resonating bass from the huge speakers on the sides of the stage. Minhyuk is dancing in front of him in such a silly way that Hyunwoo has to hold him by his shoulders to stop the boy from accidentally shoving the people around him. He holds him into place as Minhyuk sways back and forth, raising his hands up when the DJ asks them to and grinning at Hyunwoo with his set of pearly white teeth. 

 

"Dance with me." Minhyuk says, peeling off Hyunwoo's hands on him so he can grab them and use it to sway Hyunwoo along with the beat of the music. They're now dancing together, in front of each other, and the loud song drowns down the thumping heartbeat Hyunwoo feels inside his chest. Minhyuk looks _glowing_ under the party lights, illuminating and reflecting the best of his facial features in the best way possible. His hair is sticking out in all directions but he still looks good, nonetheless, and Hyunwoo steps in time with the music and Minhyuk.

 

He forgets about everything as the alcohol and dancing slowly consume his system; it's been a long time since he's danced his heart out and to simply be dancing again like the old days makes him feel all the emotions rushing up to his chest at the same time. He does a body wave when the song reaches its slow bridge part and he playfully winks at Minhyuk, who is too busy staring at him while he danced his problems away.

 

"Amazing." Minhyuk mutters and Hyunwoo doesn't know where he got the new glass of alcohol he's holding. Hyunwoo lets him drink it (but not before sipping a few gulps himself), knowing he'll still be the one to bring Minhyuk back to his room either before the party subsides or just in time as Minhyuk gets too drunk to stand on his own two feet. The latter drops the glass to the ground and suddenly steps forward towards Hyunwoo without warning.

 

They're only a few inches away. Hyunwoo can see Minhyuk's long eyelashes as the spotlight passes by their side and he takes in Minhyuk's features closely, watching him while the younger boy stares back at him with droopy eyes.

 

Minhyuk sneaks his arms around Hyunwoo's waist, pulling him closer than their usual proximity around each other, and Hyunwoo can already feel Minhyuk's erratic heartbeat against his own. They're overstepping each other's personal spaces but Hyunwoo doesn't make a move to step away from Minhyuk's grasp. The hug goes tighter and Hyunwoo can now smell Minhyuk's strawberry-scented shampoo, his musky cologne, and the wine he's drank all at the same time. The loud, pounding sound makes everything a haze for him but he leans closer to Minhyuk's ear to drown the music away. 

 

"Why are you hugging me?" He asks, knowing Minhyuk might not be fully functional by this time of the night already. He knows he isn't fully sober, but he isn't _that_ drunk to not notice how Minhyuk's tightly clinging onto him. Literally.

 

Minhyuk pulls his head back and shoots him a smile before answering. "Because I'm trying my hardest."

 

"Hardest? Hardest in what?" Hyunwoo has his arms limp by his sides, eyes boring holes into Minhyuk's own as the latter presses himself even closer to Hyunwoo. Minhyuk leans his head against Hyunwoo's shoulder, facing his ear so he can still hear his quiet whisper.

 

"In hugging you so tight that your broken pieces can go back together again."

 

Hyunwoo stiffens for a second before he feels a pair of soft lips kissing him on the side of his neck. Minhyuk smiles against his skin and Hyunwoo's mind goes into overdrive. _So your broken pieces can go back together again,_ his mind repeats it again before Minhyuk releases one hand from Hyunwoo's waist so he can catch one more glass of alcohol a local is serving behind them. He thanks him with a grin before removing his lips from Hyunwoo's neck, drinking the glass in one go and dropping the glass away from them. 

 

Hyunwoo rewinds the sentence like a tape record, letting it all sink in. _Let's just enjoy this trip until you realize that you aren't broken anymore._ He remembers Minhyuk the night before. _I'm hugging you tight so your broken pieces go back together again._ He stares at Minhyuk like his eyes hold the stars. It all makes sense, him meeting Minhyuk makes sense. And Minhyuk was actually dead serious when he said "And because you're sad, it should be enough reason for you to agree to come with me" days ago.

 

Hyunwoo doesn't know the exact reason why Minhyuk genuinely wants to help him forget; he doesn't do any advances like how someone should when they like someone (not that Hyunwoo's observing him, but Minhyuk is cute in his opinion. Too cute.) and he's just going around Rio with Hyunwoo to bring him to places where they slowly make memories together, not as strangers anymore, but as friends who don't seem to share the same sentiments with each other, but they also somehow do. 

 

Minhyuk attaches back his cheek to Hyunwoo's broad shoulder, his legs giving out due to exhaustion and Hyunwoo is quick to pull him up in his arms. Minhyuk is muttering insensible words, eyes shut closed and lips quirking every now and then like he's dreaming. Hyunwoo brings Minhyuk's arm around his shoulder so he can escort him away of the crowd and the loud music from the party, walking for the both of them back to the hotel on the other side of the street. 

 

He fishes out his keys from the front pocket of his shorts while Minhyuk is happily singing beside him, his other arm still supporting Minhyuk's weight. They enter his own room and Hyunwoo carefully places Minhyuk down on his bed, lifting his legs up so the blond can properly rest.

 

"Hyunwoo-ya." Minhyuk whispers in the dark and Hyunwoo leans down closer, eyes drooping in exhaustion.

 

"Yeah?"

 

Minhyuk giggles. "You're cute, you know?" He says the words like they're normal everyday compliments before continuing. "That ex of yours? He didn't deserve you."

 

Hyunwoo sits down on the floor beside the bed, staring at Minhyuk's disheveled state. "Why?"

 

"You deserve someone better, Hyunwoo-ya." He replies with a sleepy grin on his face, using his free hand to hold Hyunwoo's wrist. "Come up."

 

Hyunwoo does what he's told. He sighs when he stands up again, only for Minhyuk to pull him down so his upper body is above Minhyuk's and his lower half is still standing awkwardly on the floor and not on the bed. Minhyuk pulls him close but he freezes. "Wait, Minhyuk-"

 

"What?" Minhyuk stops him from finishing his sentence and Hyunwoo stares at Minhyuk's slight parted lips, taking note of how cute it looks like. He wonders if it's soft and plump against his own, if Minhyuk kisses like a monster or an angel, if his lips bring only sin or heaven, if he-

 

Hyunwoo shakes his head, avoiding Minhyuk's gaze. However, Minhyuk can't think straight anymore and nothing else is in his mind other than kissing Hyunwoo's luscious lips right then and there, so he carefully holds Hyunwoo's cheeks with his hands to make the older boy look at him directly. "I want you to kiss me. Forget about him for once, let's just enjoy the night together."

 

 _Him._ Kihyun.

 

And Hyunwoo knows he would gladly take any chance to try and forget about him. (The alcohol _definitely_ isn't doing any good to his rational thinking, and that is something he wouldn't realize until the next morning.)

 

Their faces are only inches apart, Hyunwoo tests the waters because Minhyuk's eyes look like they're pleading already, and the moment their lips touch, a small spark ignites in him. Hyunwoo quickly pulls away, shaking his head. He answers steadily and firmly. "No."

 

He doesn't know what came over him that second, but he can't let it go any further than a small kiss. He knows he wants to distract himself from Kihyun, but he isn't sure if kissing Minhyuk would do him any good. Hyunwoo's hands are on either sides of Minhyuk's face, trapping him until his upper torso, but no one makes a move between them after the short moment. Minhyuk frowns and warning bells are already making loud sounds in Hyunwoo's head, but he can slowly feel heat rushing up to his cheeks everytime his and Minhyuk's gazes meet. The warning bells go unheard. Kihyun goes unremembered.

 

 _I shouldn't have taken more than three glasses._ He thinks to himself.

 

*Minhyuk pulls him closer once again with a small almost inaudible whine of protest from how Hyunwoo pulled away, his words ring in the older's ears again. Hyunwoo really can't keep resisting him now that the alcohol has slowly taken ove his system and now he allows the smaller boy to pull him down closer with his arms around his neck.

 

The moment their lips touch, even just barely brushing, Hyunwoo sharply pulls back again with the question in his head repeating: "Is this okay?". Forcing the question aside and letting the thought of Kihyun fall to the very back of his mind, he cups Minhyuk's cheek and leans in finally.

 

Their lips moving together is rather strange to Hyunwoo at first but it didn't take him long until he falls into the feeling as well. Minhyuk's lips are soft, gentle, and slow in movement but his patterns are irregular and Hyunwoo can't match them.

 

Minhyuk's hold on him tightens as he attempts to deepen the kiss, pulling Hyunwoo closer still. It's when Hyunwoo feels the younger's lips part to allow his teeth to carefully nibble at his bottom lip that he becomes a little worried. But he doesn't fight it, somehow feeling it was also right.

 

Opening his mouth just a little for Minhyuk, he immediately feels a tongue push past them. Almost instinctively Hyunwoo moves his tongue to Minhyuk's and the strange light feeling that came from the gentle kissing was replaced with something else. He can't pinpoint what it is though, as the desperate movements of Minhyuk's tongue distract him for everything else.

 

It is as though Minhyuk was trying to turn what was their soft and delicate movements to something sloppy, but Hyunwoo fights against it as best he could. The way Minhyuk's tongue is swirling around his in such a needy matter is making that more difficult than Hyunwoo had expected, though.

 

To him he's doing pretty well though, that is until Minhyuk's hold on him seems to tremble just barely as he lets out what Hyunwoo swears is a small muffled moan. Hyunwoo pulls away then, breaking their kiss and leaving Minhyuk staring up at him with a pout and another disappointed whine.

 

Hyunwoo doesn't know what to do, but the way the younger stared up at him with such desperation in eyes told him pretty clearly what Minhyuk wanted. So many questions ran through Hyunwoo's mind and he couldn't hang onto any of them long enough to pin them down with words. But maybe it didn't matter what he said or did, because before he knew it he was throwing one leg over Minhyuk and hovering over his smaller frame. And he doesn't know if it involuntarily or not because he let himself fall too far into the questions that continuously invaded his thoughts and also the sound of Minhyuk moaning right into their kiss.

 

And now Minhyuk's arms are hanging loosely around his neck, weakly attempting to pull him closer once again. His lips are parted so invitingly and Hyunwoo almost can't bear it. He feels his breathing become just a little shaking but maybe it's more evident than that as Minhyuk smiles up at him, taking his one moment of weakness to pull him down closer and into another kiss, this one rather sloppy as Hyunwoo doesn't have time to respond before the younger pushes his tongue into his mouth.

 

Maybe it's all from the heat of the moment and how the heat is actually building up between them both; from how Minhyuk's tongue just feels so perfect against his; how their lips fit so nicely against each other; or maybe it is the very small whimpers from Minhyuk that Hyunwoo second guessed if he even heard them right—and he did—but Hyunwoo raises one leg simply to place it between Minhyuk's. He hesitantly slides his knee up to Minhyuk's crotch, wondering if he would even be okay with it. But as he presses his knee gently against the blond's slight bulge, he hears a sightly muffled gasp just before Minhyuk pulls away. And involuntarily—or at least Hyunwoo thinks it was—Minhyuk bucks his hips up against Hyunwoo's thigh.

 

It took Hyunwoo a few seconds to fully react, but when he finally does he comes down closer to place his lips ever-so-gently on Minhyuk's neck, loving the way his soft, sensitive skin felt against his lips. And Minhyuk's let's another moan, once again pushing himself down onto Hyunwoo's thigh and rolling his hips in such a smooth and even pace despite how his legs are starting to tremble from the harsh, clothed friction and his back is slowly starting to arch further into the feeling as well.

 

"Hyunwoo..." Minhyuk breathes in sharply, biting back a moan as Hyunwoo trails his lips to another spot of his neck to place the most gentle of butterfly kisses.

 

Minhyuk is coming undone at just a few kisses and the slightest of friction, and Hyunwoo likes it. All the little reactions from Minhyuk are driving him a little crazy and the subtle tent in his pants was only getting worse as was the tightening. But he likes how Minhyuk is rolling his hips with such precision and pushing himself down more and more onto him just to feel more friction with each small movement of his hips; he likes how the boy is moaning so softly underneath him; and how his arms can't even hold on anymore as he drops them to his side, his fingers finding the perfect spots of the sheets to grab at. Hyunwoo pulls away for a moment to see how Minhyuk's eyes even slipped closed and he smiles at the vulnerable state the younger is.

 

He leans back down, finding a spot just below Minhyuk's jaw to softly kiss at the delicate flesh while he shifts all of his weight to his knees just so he can bring his hands over to Minhyuk's chest. At first, his fingers fiddles around with the cloth for a few seconds in search of the first button, but he finds it within only matter of seconds and does quick work of undoing it. Minhyuk's moans fall silent and Hyunwoo smiles against the crook of his neck, trailing his hands down to begin undoing the second. But just as he rather smoothly undoes the second button from the top, he froze. His fingers stop, hovering just an inch above Minhyuk's now steady chest.

 

There was a light snore right in his ear.

 

He pulls away slowly, hands still frozen in place, to get a better look at Minhyuk's face. The boy's fingers are loosened from the sheets and his eyelids are relaxed. His lips parted so slightly as the most gentle of snores slipped past him and what once were heavy movements of his chest going in time with his desperate breaths and moans is now slowed down.

 

 _He... He fell asleep._ Hyunwoo honestly can't believe it. He moves himself to the side, sitting beside the now the sleeping figure as he questions how he could've fallen asleep like this. Hyunwoo didn't mean to, but his eyes trail over to the rather large bulge in Minhyuk's pants and his cheeks flush a heavy red, but it also raises more questions as to how Minhyuk can fall asleep in his state, especially when he was practically grinding against Hyunwoo's thigh for more friction.

 

Hyunwoo lets out a slightly frustrated sigh simply at the problem he himself is now faced with as he's still wide awake and with a half-hard erection that is proving far too difficult to ignore. He didn't realize that the alcohol in Minhyuk's system was really that much.

 

But still, as he takes a deep breath and exhales to try and calm his body down, he admits that Minhyuk looks so cute with his cheeks a soft rosy color, his head tilted to the side, his hands at either side of him, and his lips parted to allow light snores to slip through. He smiles softly at the sight and leans over once more to place a gentle kiss to Minhyuk's cheek, smiling against the soft skin.

 

"Night, pup." He whispers before fixing Minhyuk into a more comfortable position and lying down beside him as sleep completely consumes the both of them.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IMPORTANT:  
> * - signals the whole chunk [my prince](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Hyungwons) wrote for me (from the start * until the last paragraph; basically the whole nsfw part)  
> i cannot write smut to save my life so now I OWE PRINCE MY WRITER LIFE  
> his writing is heeeeaps better than mine & you'd notice it here. pls be careful in throwing the bricks after ty ty


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